XN000022-1983-12-09 — Page 2

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1983

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GOVERNOR PAYS TRIBUTE TO SIR PERCY

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THE GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE, TODAY (FRIDAY) PAID WARM TRIBUTE TO SIR PERCY CRADOCK, BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO PEKING, FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE INTEREST OF HONG KONG,

SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AT THE AIRPORT ON HIS RETURN FROM PEKING. SIR EDWARD SAID THE LATEST TALKS WERE THE LAST ROUND FOR SIR PERCY AS HEAD OF THE BRITISH DELEGATION.

+AND I TELL YOU NO SECRET WHEN I SAY THAT AT THE DINNER LAST NIGHT SOME WARM TRIBUTES WERE PAID TO HIM,

+1 WOULD LIKE TO ADD MY OWN TO THE VERY GREAT CONTRIBUTION WHICH SIR PERCY HAS MADE IN THE INTEREST OF HONG KONG DURING THE TIME HE HAS BEEN AMBASSADOR TO PEKING, AND PARTICULARLY AS LEADER OF THE DELEGATION.

+HE IS NOW RETURNING TO LONDON AND WE ARE FORTUNATE THAT HE WILL CONTINUE TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH HONG KONG AFFAIRS WHILE HE

IS THERE, HE SAID.

ON THE LATEST ROUND OF TALKS, SIR EDWARD SAID: +WE HAD ANOTHER USEFUL SESSION AND THIS TIME WE REVIEWED THE COURSE OF THE TALKS AND THE PROGRESS WE HAVE MADE SO FAR.

>THE NEXT ROUND ON THE 25TH AND 26TH (JANUARY) MEANS A SLIGHTLY LONGER GAP THAN IS USUAL, BUT THAT IS ENTIRELY BECAUSE OF THE CHANGE OF AMBASSADORS.

►MR EVANS WILL BE GETTING TO PEKING IN THE MIDDLE OF JANUARY. HE NEEDS A LITTLE TIME TO SETTLE IN AND THEN WE SHALL START AGAIN, HE SAID.

IN ANSWER TO A QUESTION FROM A REPORTER, SIR EDWARD SAID THE USUAL INFORMAL CONTACTS BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES WOULD CONTINUE FROM NOW TO THE NEXT ROUND OF TALKS.

THE GOVERNOR ADDED THAT HE UNDERSTOOD SOME JOURNALISTS HAD BEEN ASKING ABOUT HIS TRAVEL PLANS.

I AM DELIGHTED TO SAY THAT I WILL BE IN HONG KONG OVER CHRISTMAS AND THE NEW YEAR.

•THEN I AM GOING, AS ANNOUNCED, TO NEW YORK, BUT MY PLANS AFTER THAT HAVE NOT BEEN FINALISED, ♦ HE SAID.

SIR EDWARD'S RETURN FLIGHT FROM PEKING WAS DELAYED FOR ABOUT THREE HOURS BECAUSE OF FOGGY WEATHER CONDITIONS IN TIANJIN.

ACCOMPANYING SIR EDWARD ON THE FLIGHT WERE THE POLITICAL ADVISER, MR ROBIN MCLAREN, AND THE GOVERNMENT CHIEF INTERPRETER, MR Y.P. CHENG,

THEY WERE MET AT THE AIRPORT BY THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR PHILIP HADDON-CAVE, THE SENIOR MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, SIR SZE-YUEN CHUNG, THE SENIOR MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE_COUNC MR ROGER LOBO, AND THE VICE-CHIEF EDITOR OF THE XINHUA NEWS AGENCY (HONG KONG BRANCH), MR TAN GAN.

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