XN000022-1986-10-12 — Page 33

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SI EOFFREY: 1 HAVE TO KEEP ON SAYING THE SAME THINGS IN RELATION TO QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS. A GREEN PAPER WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THE THAT WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A WHITE PAPER FIRST HALF OF NEXT YEAR. AT THE END OF NEXT YEAR, THOSE ARE TWO STAGES IN THE COURSE OF WHICH ACCOUNT WILL BE TAKEN OF THE VIEWS BEING EXPRESSED WITHIN HONG KONG. WE CAN'T YET ANTICIPATE WHAT THE OUTCOME OF THOSE VIEWS IS GOING TO BE. ITS MANIFEST AT THE MOMENT THAT THERE'S A WIDE VARIETY OF OPINION AND THERE MAY OR MAY NOT BE A COMING TOGETHER OF OPINIONS IN ONE DIRECTION OR ANOTHER. THERE MAY REMAIN A WIDE VARIETY OF OPINIONS. ONE CAN'T ANTICIPATE WHAT THE OUTCOME WILL BE. WHAT IS EQUALLY CLEAR IS THAT IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THAT PROCESS, WITH ALL THE OTHER PROCESSES WHICH ARE TAKING PLACE, TO BE HANDLED IN A FASHION THAT WILL HELP US TO ACHIEVE A SMOOTH TRANSFER OF GOVERNMENT IN 1997. THAT'S WHAT WE ARE ABOUT, IN 1997, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ABOUT. THE WORD CONVERGENCE IS ONE WAY OF DESCRIBING THAT PROCESS THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHER WAYS OF DESCRIBING IT. THE IMPORTANT THING TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT DIVERGENCE, INCREASING DIFFERENCES OF VIEW, WOULD NOT BE HELPFUL TO THE SMOOTH TRANSFER OF GOVERNMENT. THAT'S WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT, AS THE GOVERNOR HAS SAID, FOR HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT AND THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT AT ALL TIMES TO BE ALIVE TO THE CONCERNS AND THE VIEWS OF THE OTHER AS WELL AS TO THE VIEWS

THAT COMES BACK TO THE EXPRESSED BY THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. SAME FRAMEWORK OF APPROACH.

QUESTION: I WANT TO RAISE MY QUESTION IN ENGLISH, SORRY IN CHINESE. SIR GEOFFREY, CAN YOU SAY MORE DEFINITELY HOW IS THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT GOING TO ASSESS THE PUBLIC OPINION

IN HONG KONG, AND IF WE DE SE RENDERAGAT MENGHTS, HOW

ARE WE GOING TO FIND THE MUTUAL POINT? SECONDLY, IN MAKING DECISIONS, WILL HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT BE INFLUENCED BY THE VIEWPOINT EXPRESSED BY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT?

SIR GEOFFREY: I THINK THAT WE HAVE REACHED THE POINT WHEN IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO ADD ANYTHING FRESH TO WHAT HAS BEEN SAID ALREADY. THE EXPRESSIONS OF OPINION BY THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WILL BE MADE AND REFLECTED, AS 1 HAVE DESCRIBED,

THROUGH THROUGH THE PRESS, THROUGH THE MEMBERS OF EXCO, MEMBERS OF LEGCO. THEY WILL BE ASSESSED BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AT THE END ... IN THE TWO STAGES I'VE DESCRIBED THE GREEN PAPER AND THEN THE WHITE PAPER. IN THAT AS IN OTHER RESPECTS, HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT AND THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT

IT WILL BE ALIVE TO THE CONCERNS AND VIEWS OF THE OTHER WOULD BE QUITE FOOLISH IF WE WERE NOT BUT ALSO TO THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG.

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QUESTION: SIR GEOFFREY, ACCORDING TO YOUR UNDERSTANDING ABOUT HONG KONG, DO YOU THINK HONG KONG IS SUITABLE TO HAVE DIRECT ELECTION?

SIR GEOFFREY

I DIDN'T GET THE QUESTION I'M AFRAID.

AUELTION: YES,