11
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 1984
QUESTION 14: MICHAEL NOBLE, AFP,
+ IN THE CASE OF RHODESIA THE PEARCE COMMISSION REJECTED OR FOUND THAT LOCAL PEOPLE REJECTED, THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S DEAL. THE THEN BRITISH GOVERNMENT ABANDONED THE DEAL. CAN HONG KONG PEOPLE BE SURE THAT, IF THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE FINDS THAT HONG KONG PEOPLE REJECT THE DEAL, THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WILL REJECT THE DEAL AS IT DID IN RHODESIA?+
ANSWER:
+OBVIOUSLY, THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE, WHICH WILL BE CONSIDERING THE WHOLE RANGE OF HONG KONG OPINIONS FROM HONG KONG PEOPLE, FROM THE HONG KONG MEDIA, AND ASSESSING THEM TOGETHER, WILL BE A MATTER OF GREAT IMPORTANCE TO THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT, BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU ONCE AGAIN THAT THE OBJECTIVE TO WHICH WE ARE WORKING, THE REASON WHY WE HAVE BEEN CONDUCTING THESE NEGOTIATIONS SO TENACIOUSLY AND WITH SUCH CLEAR OBJECTIVES, IS TO SECURE AN AGREEMENT COVERING ALL THE KEY POINTS I HAVE DESCRIBED WHICH WE CAN HONOURABLY COMMEND TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AND THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT. +
QUESTION 15 (IN CHINESE), VIVIAN MAK, COMMERCIAL RADIO:
+I'M FROM COMMERCIAL RADIO. I HAVE A QUESTION ON THE JOINT WORK ING GROUP. FIRST OF ALL, HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL SIT ON THE WORK ING GROUP AND WILL HONG KONG OFFICIALS BE REPRESENTED? SECONDLY, ON WHAT BASIS HAVE YOU DECIDED THAT THE GROUP WILL CONTINUE TO WORK UNTIL THE YEAR 2000 AND WHY IS THAT AFTER FOUR YEARS THE WORKING GROUP WILL BE BASED IN HONG KONG?+
ANSWER:
+THAT'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS IN A SHORT TIME. YES, WE HAVE CONSIDERED THE SIZE OF THE GROUP. IT WOULD HAVE FIVE MEMBERS ON EACH SIDE, TO BE APPOINTED BY EACH SIDE, AND IN DOING THAT I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT HONG KONG ́INTERESTS WILL BE FULLY REPRESENTED. THERE'S ALSO AGREEMENT ON A LIMITED NUMBER OF SUPPORTING STAFF SECRETARIES AND INTERPRETERS AND DRIVERS AND SO ON. AS TO THE QUESTION ABOUT THE DATES THAT I'VE DESCRIBED, THOSE DATES CLEARLY EMERGE FROM THE PROCESS OF NEGOTIATIONS IN WHICH WE'VE BEEN TAKING PART, AND THEY DO, I BELIEVE, REPRESENT A SENSIBLE SET OF COMPROMISES BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT OBJECTIVES. +
/QUESTION 16,
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