XN000022-1984-09-26 — Page 19

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1984

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FROM THE SPANISH NEWS AGENCY. IN THIS CASE LONDON

JES NOT ASK FOR SELF DETERMINATION OF A FIFTH OF THE POPULATION. SN'T THAT A MAJOR CHANGE IN THE CURRENT POLICY OF YOUR COUNTRY?

BY NO MEANS. NO. I THINK THAT IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO NDERSTAND THAT THE POSITION OF HONG KONG IS VERY DIFFERENT ROM THE POSITION OF OTHER TERRITORIES AROUND THE WORLD. HISTORICALLY, GEOGRAPHICALLY, LEGALLY, CONSTITUTIONALLY, HONG KONG IS UNIQUE. IT IS THE ONLY TERRITORY HELD OVER 92 PER CENT OF THE LAND AREA ON A LEASE THAT RUNS OUT IN 1997. IN OTHER RESPECTS OUR SOVEREIGNTY IS BUILT ON QUITE DIFFERENT AND SURE FOUNDATIONS.

Q. THAT MEANS THAT THERE IS ANY POSSIBILITY THAT YOUR COUNTRY COULD NEGOTIATE AN ACCORD WITH SIMILAR RESULT LIKE HONG KONG ABOUT MALVINAS AND GIBRALTAR?

A. WELL, I MAKE THE POINT AGAIN: THE THREE CASES COULD NOT BE MORE DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER. HONG KONG WAS FOUNDED ON A DIFFERENT HISTORICAL, GEOGRAPHICAL, LEGAL BASIS ON A LEASE THAT RUNS OUT IN 1997. OUR WHITE PAPER MAKES IT CLEAR THAT THE EIGHT PER CENT OF HONG KONG THAT WAS NOT ON A LEASEHOLD WOULD NOT BY ITSELF BE VIABLE. BUT IT IS QUITE DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER TERRITORIES THAT YOU HAVE MENTIONED.

Q. NIGEL HAWKES, THE OBSERVER: YOU SAID IN YOUR OPENING REMARKS THAT THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THIS AGREEMENT LAY IN ITS DETAIL. WONDER IF YOU COULD EXPLAIN WHY ALL THAT DETAIL APPEARS AS

AN ANNEXE, WHICH ELABORATES THE VIEWS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF CHINA, RATHER THAN IN THE JOINT DECLARATION ITSELF?

A.

IT

SO WHAT

IT IS IN FACT, A CONVENIENT WAY OF SETTING IT OUT. REPRESENTS THE REALITY OF THE BASIS OF THE NEGOTIATIONS.

IF YOU LOOK AT THE TEXT OF THE AGREEMENT, PARAGRAPH SEVEN SAYS THAT THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA AGREE TO IMPLEMENT THE PRECEDING DECLARATIONS AND THE ANNEXES TO THIS JOINT DECLARATION. WE HAVE HERE ARE DECLARATIONS ON THE ONE HAND BY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT AND ON THE OTHER BY THE UNITED KINGDOM GOVERNMENT. WE BOTH AGREE TO IMPLEMENT THOSE DECLARATIONS AND THE ANNEXES AND IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IT IS MADE EQUALLY CLEAR THIS JOINT DECLARATION AND ITS ANNEXES WILL BE LEGALLY BINDING. I THINK ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE AND ENCOURAGING THINGS ABOUT THE AGREEMENT ACTUALLY IS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO START ON THE FOUNDATION OF A DECLARATION OF POLICY BY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT FOR HONG KONG. THE VERY CONCEPT THAT I MENTIONED IN MY REMARKS OF ONE COUNTRY TWO SYSTEMS IS, I THINK, AN UNPRECEDENTED, REVOLUTIONARY, PROPOSITION. THAT THE WORLD'S LARGEST COMMUNIST COUNTRY SHOULD BE SETTING OUT TO MAINTAIN, WITH ALL ITS VITALITY, PROBABLY THE MOST LIVELY, MOST DYNAMIC, MOST SUCCESSFUL, CAPITALIST COMMUNITY IS AN ASTONISHING PROPOSITION. AND WE STARTED FROM THAT CHINESE DELCARATION. IN DISCUSSIONS WITH THEM THAT DECLARATION HAS BEEN FILLED OUT AND AMPLIFIED INTO THE SUBSTANTIAL DETAIL SET OUT IN, I THINK, 18 PAGES OF THE AGREEMENT ALTOGETHER, AND, THEN, HAVING ACHIEVED THAT, BOTH DECLARATIONS ARE MADE, WE BOTH AGREE TO FULFILL THE DECLARATION S AND WE ALL AGREE THAT THEY ARE LEGALLY BINDING AND ALL THOSE FACTS. IT IS A VERY SECURE FOUNDATION.

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