XN000022-1986-09-17 — Page 4

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1986

THE ASA IS THE FIRST IN A SERIES INTENDED TO PROVIDE SEPARATE HONG KONG ASA ARRANGEMENTS WHICH HAVE TAKEN ACCOUNT OF THE RELEVANT PROVISIONS OF THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION. AS SUCH, IT IS A SIGNIFICANT STEP FORWARD.

WHEN THE ASA COMES INTO FORCE, PROBABLY IN THE FIRST HALF OF 1987, IT WILL PROVIDE TWO SCHEDULED SERVICES PER WEEK EACH BY DUTCH AND HONG KONG AIRLINES ON THE ROUTE BETWEEN HONG KONG AND AMSTERDAM.

UNTIL THEN, SERVICES ON THAT ROUTE BY THE AIRLINES OF

EJ

EITHER SIDE WILL BE OPERATED UNDER TEMPORARY INFORMAL ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN AERONAUTICAL AUTHORITIES OF HONG KONG AND THE NETHERLANDS.

FOLLOWING IS THE SPEECH BY MR YAXLEY:

+TODAY MARKS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW AND IMPORTANT ERA

IN HONG KONG'S CIVIL AVIATION HISTORY.

+SIGNATURE OF THE HONG KONG-NETHERLANDS AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT MAKES IT THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF SEPARATE AIR SERVICES AGREEMENTS, WHICH HONG KONG, ACTING UNDER ENTRUSTMENT FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM, AIMS TO CONCLUDE IN THE COMING YEARS. ARRANGEMENTS FOR THESE AGREEMENTS TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE RELEVANT PROVISIONS OF THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION ON THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG. AFTER 1997, UNDER THESE PROVISIONS, HONG KONG WILL BE ABLE TO CONCLUDE ITS OWN AIR SERVICES AGREEMENTS, ACTING UNDER SPECIFIC AUTHORISATIONS FROM THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT.

+OUR ABILITY TO REACH A SUCCESSFUL EARLY CONCLUSION OF THIS, THE FIRST SEPARATED AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT, IS DUE IN NO SMALL PART TO THE SUPPORT WHICH THE NETHERLANDS GOVERNMENT HAS GIVEN TO THE JOINT DECLARATION, FOR WHICH WE ARE MOST GRATEFUL, AND TO THE CO-OPERATIVE AND UNDERSTANDING ATTITUDE TO THIS UNIQUE EXERCISE WHICH HAS BEEN SHOWN THROUGHOUT THE NEGOTIATIONS. WE ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PART PLAYED BY THE UNITED KINGDOM GOVERNMENT IN NEGOTIATING ON HONG KONG'S BEHALF.

+SIGNATURE OF THE HONG KONG-NETHERLANDS AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT IS SIGNIFICANT IN OTHER RESPECTS. IT WILL PROVIDE A VALUABLE PRECEDENT WHICH OTHER SEPARATION PARTNERS WILL NOW BE ENCOURAGED TO FOLLOW.

+ IT WILL ALSO, WHEN BROUGHT INTO FORCE AND FOLLOWING THE FORMAL DESIGNATION OF AIRLINES OF BOTH PARTIES TO OPERATE SERVICES BETWEEN HONG KONG AND AMSTERDAM, DO MUCH IN THE COMING YEARS TO STRENGTHEN EXISTING TIES AND PROMOTE NEW ONES TO OUR MUTUAL BENEFIT.

+F INALLY I THANK YOU, MINISTER, OFFICIALS OF THE NETHERLANDS GOVERNMENT MOST SINCERELY FOR THE PART ALL OF YOU HAVE PLAYED IN ENSURING THE SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION OF THE HONG KONG/NETHERLANDS AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT AND WHICH HAS RESULTED IN OUR BEING. HERE TODAY FOR THIS HISTORIC SIGNING CEREMONY.+

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