XN000022-1986-11-07 — Page 3

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1986

SIR DAVID STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF REACHING CONSENSUS

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THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, TODAY (FRIDAY) STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF REACHING A CONSENSUS OF THE VARIOUS VIEWS THAT HAD BEEN EXPRESSED ON HONG KONG'S POLITICAL REFORM.

SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER OFFICIATING AT THE PRESENTATION OF SOUVENIRS CEREMONY OF THE HONG KONG COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE'S EMPLOYMENT SERVICE, SIR DAVID SAID THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAD TO ACCOMMODATE ALL SORTS OF PEOPLE AND ALL SORTS OF EXPRESSION OF VIEWS.

+AND THAT IS WHAT MISS LYDIA DUNN SAID IN HER SPEECH. THE IMPORTANCE OF REACHING, AT THE END OF THE DAY. A CONSENSUS AND TO FIND THE MIDDLE GROUND AMONGST ALL THE VIEWS THAT ARE BEING EXPRESSED, HE SAID.

REPLYING TO QUESTIONS ON THE 1987 REVIEW, SIR DAVID SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD MADE ITS POSITION VERY CLEAR. HE ALSO NOTED THAT THE FOREIGN SECRETARY, SIR GEOFFREY HOWE, HAD REPEATED MANY TIMES THAT THE REVIEW WOULD BE A THOROUGH AND COMPREHENSIVE ONE.

ASKED TO COMMENT ON A REMARK ATTRIBUTED TO CHINESE OFFICIAL, MR LU PING, THAT POLITICAL REFORMS IN HONG KONG SHOULD CONVERGE WITH THE BASIC LAW, SIR DAVID SAID HE HAD NOT SEEN PRECISELY WHAT MR LU HAD SAID.

+WHAT I SAID ABOUT THE REVIEW NEXT YEAR IS THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S POSITION, HE ADDED,

ASKED TO COMMENT ON REPORTS THAT AN AUSTRALIAN PRESS CORPORATION WOULD BE TAKING OVER THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, THE CHIEF SECRETARY SAID IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT FOR HONG KONG TO HAVE ENGL ISH-LANGUAGE NEWSPAPERS BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE DEPENDED UPON THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST AND THE HONG KONG STANDARD AS THE IR SOURCE OF NEWS, INFORMATION AND VIEWS.

+THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST HAS OCCUPIED A VERY IMPORTANT POSITION IN THAT RESPECT IN THE PAST, AND HOPE, AND I AM SURE, THAT IT WILL CONTINUE TO OCCUPY THAT ROLE IN THE FUTURE, HE SAID.

ON A SUGGESTION THAT THE POST MIGHT COME UNDER AUSTRALIAN CONTROL, SIR DAVID SAID IT WAS A HONG KONG NEWSPAPER AND IT HAD TO SERVE THE HONG KONG PUBLIC.

HE DISMISSED AS +SPECULATION BEYOND THE BOUNDS OF POSSIBILITY+ A SUGGESTION THAT HE WOULD BECOME THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF THE POST FOLLOWING ITS TAKEOVER.

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