XN000022-1985-10-31 — Page 24

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ON

MR RENTON: I THINK I HAVE ONLY JUST ANSWERED THAT POINT AND

PARTICULARLY IN WHAT I WAS SAYING ABOUT THE BASIC LAW, I THINK IT IS RATHER THAT THE LOOKING IN FROM OUTS IDE AT WHAT IS DEVELOPING HERE AND THAT YOU IN THE STEADY PROGRESS AND STEP BY STEP APPROACH OF THE NEXT TWO YEARS WILL BE VERY CONSCIOUS ACTUALLY AS MISS DUNN SAID IN HER REMARKS AT THE OPENING OF LEGCO YESTERDAY, OF THE NEED FOR CONTINUITY, STABILITY, AND AS SHE WAS SAYING, OUT OF DIVERSITY COMES BOTH UNITY AND STRENGTH. YOU WILL BE SEEK ING TO KNIT TOGETHER THE DIVERSE OPINIONS IN HONG KONG IN ORDER TO FIND A UNIFIED APPROACH THAT WILL GIVE HONG KONG STRENGTH AND PROSPERITY AFTER 1997. THIS IS A CHALLENGE, BUT I DON'T THINK IT IS BY ANY MANNER OF MEANS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AND IT IS A PROCESS TO WHICH ALL OF YOU ARE GOING TO BE PART.

QUESTION (BY TSUI MING-YUEN):

BUT HOW WOULD THEY LINK UP TO

PROVIDE A SMOOTH TRANSITION?

MR RENTON I AM SORRY, I DIDN'T CATCH THAT.

QUESTION (BY TSUI MING-YUEN): HOW THEY LINK UP TOGETHER TO

PROVIDE A SMOOTH TRANSITION TO 19977

MR RENTON: TO PROVIDE? WELL, NO DOUBT THAT THE STEPS THAT

WILL BE ENVISAGED, FOR EXAMPLE IN THE '87 REVIEW WHICH IS THE NEXT STEP, AND THEN IN THE '88 ELECTIONS, THAT THESE WILL ALL BE PART OF THE PROCESS OF STEP BY STEP CHANGE THAT WOULD EVENTUALLY HAVE IN MIND THROUGH THE SMOOTH TRANSITION OF '97. IT IS IN ALL OF YOUR INTERESTS, IS IT NOT, TO ENSURE THAT THE TRANSITION IS SMOOTH AND I AM SURE THAT YOU WILL BE BENDING YOUR EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE JUST THAT.

QUESTION:

STACEY MOSHER FROM ATV: RECENTLY OUR CHIEF SECRETARY SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD NOT DECIDED WHAT IS GOING TO BE DONE WITH FILES ON POLITICAL FIGURES AND GROUPS WHEN THE BRITISH HAND OVER SOVEREIGNTY TO CHINA IN 1997. DID YOU TALK OVER THIS MATTER WITH ANYBODY HERE IN THE GOVERNMENT AND WHAT ARE YOUR OWN VIEWS ON WHAT SHOULD BE DONE WITH THESE FILES?

MR RENTON: MY DISCUSSIONS IN FACT WITH EXCO AND WITH OFFICIALS,

THE CONTENTS OF THOSE ARE ... THE CONTENTS OF THOSE ARE CONFIDENTIAL, BUT THAT IS A MATTER FOR THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT TO THINK CLOSELY ABOUT, AND IT IS FOR THEM TO TAKE THEIR DECISIONS, IF NECESSARY IN CONSULTATION WITH US. I HAVEN'T ANYTHING FURTHER TO ADD ON THAT AT THE MOMENT.

QUESTION