XN000022-1985-10-16 — Page 3

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1985

ON WHETHER HE WOULD TALK ABOUT THE JENKINS BILL, SIR EDWARD SAID HE WOULD TELL MR BUSH IF HE NEEDED TO KNOW.

THAT + BUT I DOUBT VERY MUCH WHETHER HE DOES NEED TO KNOW THERE IS VERY CONSIDERABLE CONCERN HERE ABOUT THE JENKINS BILL. BUT I SUSPECT VERY STRONGLY THAT HE WILL ALREADY KNOW THAT WITHOUT MY TELLING HIM. +

ASKED WHETHER HE WOULD +PUSH+ THE JENKINS BILL QUESTION FURTHER. SIR EDWARD POINTED OUT THAT MR BUSH WAS PAYING A GOODWILL VISIT TO HONG KONG.

+AS I SAID SHALL TALK TO HIM GENERALLY AND I SHALL NOT BE MAKING SPECIAL REPRESENTATIONS TO HIM,

+ IN ANY CASE, I THINK HE WILL BE WELL AWARE OF THE FEELING IN HONG KONG ON THIS SUBJECT,+ HE SAID.

ASKED HOW THE POLICE COULD ENSURE INTERNAL SECURITY AFTER THE ARMY HAS WITHDRAWN FROM HONG KONG, SIR EDWARD POINTED OUT THAT THE REPORTER WAS A LITTLE AHEAD OF THE FIELD.+

+1 THINK LAST NIGHT THE FIELD MARSHALL SAID THAT THE FUTURE OF SECURITY IN HONG KONG WOULD REQUIRE VERY CAREFUL CONSIDERATION AND THAT'S WHAT IT WILL RECEIVE,+ HE SAID.

+THERE IS NO NEWS I CAN GIVE YOU ON THAT SUBJECT AT THE PRESENT TIME.+

ASKED WHETHER THERE WOULD BE SOME SLIGHT CHANGE OF BALANCE+ BETWEEN THE GARRISON AND THE POLICE FORCE, THE GOVERNOR SAID HE THOUGHT THE FIELD MARSHALL WAS REFERRING TO THE ANNOUNCEMENT WHICH WAS MADE TWO OR THREE WEEKS AGO ABOUT THE WITHDRAWAL OF ONE BATTALION FROM HONG KONG.

+THERE WAS NOTHING NEW IN THAT STATEMENT, HE SAID.

SIR EDWARD DECLINED A REQUEST TO GIVE SOME +EARLY DETAILS+

OF THE BN(0) PASSPORTS.

+I THINK IT WILL BE BEST IF TOMORROW YOU SAW THE WHOLE PICTURE ALL AT ONCE. IF I WAS TO GIVE YOU A TWO-MINUTE RUN-DOWN, I AM SURE I WOULD LEAVE OUT SOMETHING ESSENTIAL, HE SAID.

ASKED IF THE NEW PASSPORT WOULD BE A SURPRISE, SIR EDWARD SAID HE DID NOT THINK SO.

IN REPLY TO A QUESTION ON WHETHER MR XU JIATUN HAD BEEN INVITED TO THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE NEW LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, SIR EDWARD SAID THE GOVERNMENT WOULD ANNOUNCE THE GUEST LIST IN THE NOT-TOO-DISTANT FUTURE.

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