XN000022-1984-08-01 — Page 16

-

15

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 1984

QUESTION 22, JILL HARTLEY, SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST:

+COULD THE FOREIGN SECRETARY GIVE US AN ASSURANCE THAT ALL

THE POINTS IN THE AGREEMENT WILL BE ENSHRINED IN THE BASIC LAW AND CAN WE STILL HAVE AN AGREEMENT IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO SEEK

A SOLUTION TO THOSE THREE CRUCIAL STICKING POINTS YOU HAVE MENTIONED TO US TODAY IN YOUR STATEMENT?+

ANSWER:

+THOSE THREE POINTS ARE AMONG THOSE ON WHICH WE SHALL HAVE TO REACH CONCLUSIONS BEFORE WE COMPLETE THE NEGOTIATIONS. AND ON YOUR FIRST QUESTION THE ANSWER IS YES.+

QUESTION 23, YAU LUI, TA KUNG PAO ENGLISH WEEKLY:

+S IR GEOFFREY, YOU MENTIONED IN YOUR STATEMENT THAT THERE WAS STILL A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE. CAN YOU MENTION SOME OF IT?+

ANSWER:

+WELL, I'VE IDENTIFIED THREE OF THEM, ALSO IN THE STATEMENT.+

QUESTION 24, REX MCDONALD, COMMERCIAL RADIO:

+CAN YOU BE A LITTLE BIT MORE ELABORATE, A LITTLE ON THE PHRASE 'A HIGH DEGREE OF AUTONOMY' AFTER 1997. FOR EXAMPLE, HOW WILL THE GOVERNOR BE CHOSEN?+

ANSWER:

+WELL, I'VE ALREADY INDICATED HOW FAR I CAN GO AT THIS STAGE IN THE NEGOTIATIONS IN FILLING OUT THAT PHRASE, BUT I'VE IDENTIFIED A NUMBER OF PLACES ON WHICH IT IS ALREADY CLEAR THAT HONG KONG WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE ITS OWN DECISIONS ABOUT ITS OWN POLICIES. I CAN'T GO FURTHER TODAY.+

QUESTION 25: NANCY LEE, TVB:

+HOW MANY ANNEXES WILL THERE BE AND CAN YOU TELL US THE SPEC IF IC NATURE OF EACH OF THEM?+

ANSWER:

+ I THINK THAT IF I BEGIN SPECULATING ABOUT THAT I MIGHT LEAD TO ALL SORTS OF CONCLUSIONS. THERE WILL BE ANNEXESI THEY WILL BE OF THE SAME FORCE OF THE AGREEMENT OF BINDING FORCE AND

—

VAL IDITY.+

/QUESTION 26: