XN000022-1984-02-28 — Page 10

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1984

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Q: SORRY TO LABOUR THIS POINT, BUT IT WAS SOMETHING I WOULD LIKE TO GET CLEARED UP FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE AND THAT IS IF THE UNOFFICIAL COUNCILLORS NEXT MONTH WIN THEIR DEBATE AND THE MOTION IS ACCEPTED, THEREFORE, THAT BINDS LEGCO TO DEBATE ANY PROPOSALS BEFORE AN AGREEMENT IS SIGNED. NOW, IF LEGCO THEN THREW OUT THOSE PROPOSALS, WOULD THAT MEAN YOU WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE IN PEKING?

A: ❘ MUST SAY THAT I AM RATHER INTERESTED BY THE WAY YOU ARE BUILDING UP ALL THIS. THERE IS THIS DEBATE IN MID-MARCH. THEY ARE ENTITLED TO HAVE THIS DEBATE. THEY HAVE THEIR MOTION.

WE ALL KNOW WHAT THE MOTION IS. YOU ALL KNOW WHAT THE QUEEN'S SPEECH SAYS ABOUT ACCEPTABILITY. THAT IS PERFECTLY REASONABLE. AND, I, FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUMENT, WILL MAKE AN ASSUMPTION THAT WHEN WE GET TO THE NEXT STAGE OF THE MECHANICS OR TESTING THE OPINION OF HONG KONG, THEN CLEARLY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, WHICH IS A VERY IMPORTANT BODY, WILL HAVE THE IR VIEWS TO MAKE, AND WE SHALL HAVE TO TAKE THEM INTO ACCOUNT. THEN WE HAVE TO GET ON TO THE FINAL STAGE IN THIS WHOLE PROCESS WITH A CHANCE FOR THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT TO EXPRESS THE IR VIEWS. THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT WILL TAKE FULLY INTO ACCOUNT THE VIEWS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. AS WILL THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT. DON'T THINK I CAN REALLY HELPFULLY SAY ANY MORE THAN THAT. I KNOW IT IS FRUSTRATING, BUT I DON'T THINK I CAN SAY ANY MORE THAN THAT.

Q: YOU SAY THAT BRITAIN HAS SET NO DEADLINE. DOES THIS MEAN THAT YOU ARE IGNORING THE CHINESE DEADLINE OF SEPTEMBER?

A: NO. WE HAVE REPEATEDLY SAID, THERE IS NOTHING NEW IN THE FACT THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT DO NOT HAVE A DEADLINE- WE DO NOT BELIEVE THAT A DEADLINE IS CONDUCIVE TO PRODUCING THE RIGHT SETTLEMENT - BUT IT IS ABSOLUTELY FAIR ALSO TO SAY THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAVE REPEATEDLY SINCE 1982 SAID THAT THEY THEMSELVES WISH TO TAKE SEPTEMBER OF 1984 AS A PERIOD IN WHICH THEY WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE THEIR OWN PROPOSALS. THAT IS A FACTOR WE HAVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. THE QUESTION PUT TO ME WAS 'DO WE BELIEVE IN DEADLINES?' AS A GOVERNMENT WE HAVE REPEATEDLY SAID 'NO'. WE DON'T HAVE A DEADLINE. WE DON'T BELIEVE IN A DEADLINE. WE ARE CONCERNED WITH GETTING THE RIGHT AND THE BEST AGREEMENT AS WE BELIEVE IS CHINA, THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT BUT, OF COURSE, WE TAKE THE SEPTEMBER DEADLINE, AS FAR AS THEY ARE CONCERNED,

INTO ACCOUNT.

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Q: DOES THIS TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE DEBATE IN PARLIAMENT? BECAUSE THE SUMMER RECESS MEANS, EFFECTIVELY, THAT YOU'LL HAVE TO HAVE AN AGREEMENT BY MAY?

A: WE HAVE NO DEADLINE, WE HAVE NO DEADLINE. WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE CHINESE POSITION, OF COURSE, WE TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT. WE HAVE NO DEADLINE. AND, WHEN WE REACH AN AGREEMENT WE SHALL THEN PUT THIS, OBVIOUSLY, FOR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG TO CONSIDER. THAT WILL TAKE TIME AND THE LAST STAGE, AS WE SEE IT, THE FINAL STAGE, AS WE SEE IT, IN THIS PROCESS, WILL BE FOR THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT TO EXPRESS THE IR VIEWS. AND I CANNOT CONCEIVABLY GIVE YOU A DATE OR A TIME AT THIS STAGE.

/Q: WE HAVE

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