XN000022-1988-05-31 — Page 27

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TUESDAY, MAY 31, 1988

INTO

IS THAT THE BY THE UNHCR

THEY AGAINST ON

SIR GEOFFREY: I THINK THAT ONE WANTS TO AVOID BEING DRAWN A BATTLE OF TERMINOLOGY HERE. WHAT I HAVE SAID ALREADY KEY QUESTION IS THE DEFINITION OF POLITICAL REFUGEE STANDARDS, THAT DOES MEAN APPLYING ONESELF TO THE QUESTION: HAVE A WELL-FOUNDED BELIEF THAT THEY WILL BE DISCRIMINATED POLITICAL OR RELIGIOUS GROUNDS, PERSECUTED ON POLITICAL GROUNDS? THAT IS THE TEST. THE QUESTION IS HOW FAR ONE WHETHER ONE DOES SO, AND WHEN. AND THAT IS ONE OF THE WE ARE OBVIOUSLY STILL CONSIDERING.

OR RELIGIOUS APPLIES ᎢᎻᎪᎢ . QUESTIONS THAT

THE

JAMES TAM (SING PAO DAILY NEWS): SIR GEOFFREY, WHAT BRITISH GOVERNMENT CAN DO TO ENSURE THAT THE FINAL VERSION OF THE BASIC LAW REFLECTS PRECISELY WHAT IS WRITTEN IN THE JOINT DECLARATION?

SIR GEOFFREY: WE CAN CONTINUE TO MAKE, AS WE HAVE BEEN DOING, VERY CLEAR TO THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT THE EXTENT TO WHICH WE HAVE RESERVATIONS ABOUT ANY VARIATION BETWEEN THE JOINT DECLARATION AND THE BASIC LAW. THAT IS WHAT THE CONSULTATION PERIOD IS ABOUT AND HOW ELSE DO YOU DO IT EXCEPT BY WRITING DOWN WORDS ON PAPER, SPEAKING WORDS THROUGH YOUR MOUTH, MAKING REPRESENTATIONS IN THE WHOLE RANGE OF WAYS THAT WE HAVE DESCRIBED.

JEREMY THOMPSON (ITN): THERE 15 AN IMPRESSION AMONGST THOSE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN HONG KONG AT THE MOMENT THAT BRITAIN IN ITS ENTHUSIASM TO STRIKE UP A STRONGER RELATIONSHIP WITH BEIJING HAS SOLD HONG KONG DOWN THE RIVER. HOW DO YOU COME TO TERMS WITH THAT, SIR?

SIR GEOFFREY: BY REPEATING WHAT I SAID YESTERDAY, THAT THAT IS HOGWASI!! EVEN IF WE WERE DAFT ENOUGH TO THINK THERE WAS ANY BENEFIT IN DOING SO, IT WOULD NOT BE WITHIN OUR POWER. THE FACT IS AS A MATTER OF REALITY BRITAIN HAS A PASSIONATE INTEREST IN THE SUCCESS OF HONG KONG. WE ARE WORKING, TOGETHER WITH THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT, TO FULFIL THE JOINT DECLARATION WE HAVE WORKED SO HARD TO ACHIEVE IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE JUST THAT.

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THERE 15 NO QUESTION OF BRITAIN CHOOSING ΤΟ HAVE GOOD RELATIONS WITH CHINA AT THE EXPENSE OF HONG KONG, YOU SIMPLY COULDN'T ACHIEVE IT. ONE OF THE HIGHEST FULFILMENTS OF OUR GOOD RELATIONS MUST BE THE SUCCESS OF HONG KONG, YOU CAN'T HAVE ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER, IF I MAY QUOTE FRANK SINATRA.

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