XN000022-1985-10-31 — Page 16

IS

DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN-SUPPLEMENT

ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES BEACONSFIELD HOUSE, HONG KONG TEL 5-233191

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1985

MINISTER OF STATE MEETS PRESS

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FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE BY

»R TIMOTHY RENTON, MINISTER OF STATE AT THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE, IN THE GIS PRESS CONFERENCE ROOM, TODAY (THURSDAY):

SORRY TO DRAG YOU HERE AT

MR IVOR ROBERTS, DEPUTY HEAD OF NEWS DEPARTMENT, FCO: +GOOD MORNING, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. THIS EARLY HOUR BUT THE MINISTER HAS A VERY EARLY DEPARTURE FOR SINGAPORE AND JAKARTA, SO I THINK I WOULD LIKE TO START AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO ASK AS MANY QUESTIONS. THE MINISTER WILL FIRST OF ALL MAKE A FEW INTRODUCTORY REMARKS AND THEN WE WILL BE HAPPY TO TAKE YOUR QUESTIONS IF YOU WILL IDENTIFY YOURSELVES AND YOUR ORGANISATIONS IN DOING SO. MINISTER.

MR TIMOTHY RENTON: +GOOD MORNING. IT IS VERY PLEASANT TO SEE SO MANY OF YOU HERE. THANK YOU FOR COMING. I WOULD LIKE TO START MY FEW OPENING REMARKS WITH A QUOTATION FROM DENG XIAOPING WHO IS REPORTED TO HAVE SAID:

'I AM NOT SCARED OF HEAVEN OR EARTH BUT ONLY OF REPORTERS FROM HONG KONG!'

+AFTER FOUR DAYS HERE I AM FLATTERED BY THE DEGREE OF ATTENTION THAT YOU HAVE GIVEN ME I KNOW EXACTLY HOW HE FEELS! NOW I WOULD NOT PRETEND TO BE AN INSTANT EXPERT ON HONG KONG AFTER THESE PAST FOUR DAYS BUT DO HAVE SOME IMPRESSIONS, SOME VERY STRONG IMPRESSIONS, ON MY FIRST VISIT AFTER A GAP OF NEARLY 10 YEARS AND I WOULD LIKE VERY QUICKLY TO SHARE SOME OF THESE WITH YOU.

+FIRST, AND MOST IMPORTANT FOR ME, I HAVE HAD SOME EXTREMELY WORTHWHILE MEETINGS WITH THE GOVERNOR AND OFFICIALS, WITH MEMBER OF EXCO AND LEGCO, AND ON ONE PRIVILEGED OCCASION WITH MEMBERS OF A DISTRICT BOARD AND MANY OTHERS. I HOPE VERY MUCH THAT ON FUTURE VISITS I CAN FILL SOME OF THE GAPS; BUT IN THESE MANY CONVERSATIONS I HAVE, I THINK, LEARNED A GOOD DEAL ABOUT WHAT THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG THINK AND WHAT THEY WANT.

/+YESTERDAY WAS,