SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1986
GENUINE POLITICAL REVIEW REAFFIRMED
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THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS, SIR GEOFFREY HOWE, TODAY REAFFIRMED THAT THE 1987 POLITICAL REVIEW WOULD BE A GENUINE ONE, WITHOUT PRECONCEIVED IDEAS AND WITHOUT PRE-DETERMINATION OF THE OUTCOME,
HE ALSO REASSURED THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT FULLY UNDERSTOOD AND WAS FULLY ALIVE TO THE IR CONCERNS OVER THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE DAYA BAY NUCLEAR PLANT.
HE ADDED THAT THE CHINESE LEADERS WERE ABLE TO ASSURE MM THAT THEY WOULD MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE PLANT.
SIR GEOFFREY MADE THESE REMARKS AT THE AIRPORT THIS MORNING WHEN HE MADE A TRANSIT STOP IN HONG KONG FOLLOWING THE STATE V. TO CHINA BY HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN. HE LEFT FOR JAKARTA LATER IN THE AFTERNOON TO ATTEND THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY-ASEAN MEETING OF FOREIGN MINISTERS.
FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF SIR GEOFFREY'S STATEMENT ON HIS ARRIVAL AT THE AIRPORT
+AS YOU KNOW I'M ONLY ABLE NOW TO STOP FOR A FEW HOURS IN HONG KONG BEFORE GOING ON TO JAKARTA FOR THE MEETING OF EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AND ASEAN FOREIGN MINISTERS. SO THERE WILL BE NO OPPORTUNITY EITHER FOR A PRESS CONFERENCE OR FOR ME TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS FROM YOU TODAY. YOU KNOW ALSO, OF COURSE, THAT I'VE JUST BEEN ACCOMPANYING HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN AND HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE PHILIP ON THE IR STATE VISIT TO THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA. IT WAS A GREAT SUCCESS AND THE WELCOME FOR HER MAJESTY WAS TREMENDOUS. SHE IS OF COURSE MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO HER VISIT TO HONG KONG. WHILE I WAS IN PEKING I WAS ABLE TO MEET STATE COUNCILLOR JI PENGFEI AND FOREIGN MINISTER WU XUEQIAN AND TO HAVE A GOOD CONVERSATION WITH PRIME MINISTER ZHAO ZIYANG. WE DISCUSSED A WHOLE RANGE OF QUESTIONS
INTERNATIONAL QUESTIONS, PARTICULARLY EAST-WEST RELATIONS AFTER THE CONCLUSION OF THE REYKJAVIK MEETING, REGIONAL QUESTIONS AND, OF COURSE, BILATERAL QUESTIONS INCLUDING HONG KONG. WE WERE ABLE TO REVIEW THE PROGRESS BEING MADE IN IMPLEMENTING THE JOINT DECLARATION AND TO AGREE THAT CO-OPERATION ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE JOINT DECLARATION IS GOING VERY WELL.
+ I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF EXPLAINING OUR THINKING ABOUT THE REVIEW OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT IN 1987 AND THERE'S NO DISAGREEMENT WHATSOEVER THAT THE REVIEW SHOULD GO AHEAD AS PROMISED NEXT YEAR, AND I CAN TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY OF REAFFIRMING THAT IT WILL BE A GENUINE REVIEW, WITHOUT PRECONCEIVED IDEAS, AND CERTAINLY WITHOUT ANY PRE-DETERMINATION OF THE OUTCOME, AND THAT IT WILL INVOLVE A GENUINE EFFORT TO SEEK AND ASSESS VIEWS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG ON THIS IMPORTANT ISSUE. WHILE WAS IN PEKING AND AGAIN IN CANTON, WHERE I MEET GOVERNOR YE XUANPING, I EXPLAINED THE CONCERN FELT IN HONG KONG ABOUT THE SAFETY ASPECTS OF DAYA BAY. THE CHINESE LEADERS WERE ABLE TO ASSURE ME THAT THEY FULLY UNDERSTOOD AND WERE VERY ALIVE TO THE CONCERNS OF PEOPLE HERE AS ELSEWHERE, AND WILL MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE PLANT AS IT IS ESTABLISHED AND PUT INTO OPERATION.+
/WHEN ASKED
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