XN000022-1986-10-12 — Page 32

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SIR GEOFFREY: WELL, IT'S NOT FOR ME TO SPECULATE ABOUT THE OUTCOME OF THE REVIEW WHICH IS ADDRESSING ITSELF IN PART TO THAT QUESTION IN 1987, NOR IS IT FOR ME TO AMPLIFY OR SPECULATE ABOUT THE CONTENTS OF THE JOINT DECLARATION. THAT MAKES PROVISION FOR ELECTION AS PRESCRIBED IN THE JOINT DECLARATION AND IT MAKES PROVISION FOR A HIGH DEGREE OF AUTONOMY ON THE PART OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND I THINK THOSE ARE THE OBJECTIVES ON WHICH AGREEMENT WAS REACHED AND I WOULD WISH TO SEE FULFILMENT OF THOSE OBJECTIVES.

QUESTION: CAN YOU BE ANY MORE SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT KIND OF OPERATING DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS APART FROM ELECTIONS.

SIR GEOFFREY: NO, IT WOULD BE QUITE WRONG FOR ME TO ANTICIPATE OR AMPLIFY OR FILL OUT THE MEANING OF THOSE WORDS ON WHICH THERE WAS AGREEMENT AND WITHIN WHICH DEVELOPMENTS WILL BE TAKING PLACE BETWEEN NOW AND 1997. HERE WE ARE, 1997 IS AS DEFINED IN THE JOINT DECLARATION. AN IMPORTANT EVENT BETWEEN NOW AND THEN WILL BE THE OUTCOME OF THE 1987 REVIEW AND WE MUST AWAIT THE OUTCOME OF THAT.

QUESTION: I WOULD LIKE TO STRESS THAT GATT MATTERS AND POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN HONG KONG ARE SEPARATE MATTERS. CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO US WHY YOU ARE SO CONFIDENT THAT THE REFORM AND THE BASIC LAW MUST BE ABLE TO CONVERGE. AND WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WHEN THE PUBLIC FEELINGS HERE OVERWHELMINGLY (UNCLEAR) FOR DIRECT ELECTIONS WHILE THE BASIC LAW RECOMMENDS NOT.

SIR GEOFFREY: THERE ARE A NUMBER OF ASSUMPTIONS THERE WHICH ONE CAN'T MAKE AT THIS STAGE OR PERHAPS AT ALL. YOU OFFER THE PROPOSITION THAT PUBLIC OPINION HERE OVERWHELMINGLY ASKS FOR THIS OR THAT.

QUESTION: THE QUESTION IS CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO US WHY ARE YOU SO CONFIDENT THAT THE TWO MUST BE ABLE TO CONVERGE.

SIR GEOFFREY: WHY I'M CONFIDENT THAT THE COVERGENCE IS IMPORTANT IS SURELY SELF EVIDENT. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THERE SHOULD BE THE CLOSEST POSSIBLE UNDERSTANDING OF VIEWS, THE CLOSEST POSSIBLE TAKING ACCOUNT OF VIEWS IN THE DRAFTING OF THE BASIC LAW AND IN THE OTHER POINTS OF CONTACT IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE SMOOTH TRANSFER OF GOVERNMENT THAT IS NECESSARY. I THINK THAT THE EXTENT TO WHICH THAT HAS PROVED POSSIBLE SO FAR GIVES ONE SOME ENCOURAGEMENT. I THINK THAT WE SHOULD ALL HAVE TO GO ON WORKING AT IT CONTINUOUSLY TO MAKE SURE THAT THE INITIAL STEPS IN IMPLEMENTING THE JOINT DECLARATION ARE FULFILLED RIGHT THE WAY THROUGH. I BELIEVE THAT IF WE GO ON WITH THE SAME KIND OF APPROACH THAT HAS BEEN MANIFESTED SO FAR THEN THERE ARE GOOD GROUNDS FOR BELIEVING THAT WE SHALL ACHIEVE THE SMOOTH TRANSFER OF GOVERNMENT THAT IS NECESSARY.

QUESTION: AT THE END OF NEXT YEAR, THERE WILL BE A REPORT ON THE REVIEW OF THE POLITICAL SYSTEM AND THE GREEN PAPER WILL BE ISSUED AT THE END OF NEXT YEAR. DOES IT MEAN THAT THAT WOULD ENSURE A SORT OF CONVERGENCE AND ALSO IF THE REPORT DOES NOT AGREE WITH DIRECT ELECTIONS HOW ARE WE GOING SOLVE THE PROBLEM IN HONG KONG, HOW ARE WE GOING TO ENSURE CONVERGENCE IN HONG KONG.

/LIR GEOFFREY: