XN000022-1989-07-04 — Page 21

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TUESDAY, JULY 4, 1989

ON

SALLY BLYTH (RTHK): YOU SAY THAT YOU WILL TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE ΤΟ MOOD OF THE CHANGED ATMOSPHERE IN HONG KONG WHEN YOU GO BACK LONDON. BUT WHEN THE BRITISH CABINET IS CONSIDERING THE PROPOSALS

WILL

BE YOU, NATIONALITY,

PERHAPS,

PUSHING FOR MORE ALTERATIONS IN THE LIGHT OF YOUR VISIT HERE?

RADICAL

SIR

GEOFFREY

HOWE:

J

IN HAVE TAKEN ON

ADVANCE.

THE EXTENT OF ONE THING THAT

WELL. I DON'T DISCLOSE EVEN WHAT

BUT I CERTAINLY I AM GOING TO SAY IN CABINET. BOARD AS I THINK I HAD ALREADY, AS A MATTER OF FACT PEOPLE'S CONCERN HERE ON THE RIGHT OF ABODE QUESTION. I CAN SAY IS THAT THE VIEWS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG HAVE BEEN EFFECTIVELY REPRESENTED BY THE LEADERS OF HONG KONG'S ESTABLISHMENT WHEN THEY CAME TO BRITAIN A WEEK OR TWO AGO, WERE MADE VERY CLEAR TO THE MEMBERS OF THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS WHEN THEY WERE HERE. SO WE ARE IN NO DOUBT ABOUT THEM. BEEN TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT ALREADY.

VERY POLITICAL AND THEY COMMITTEE THEY HAVE

BLYTH (RTHK): SO. WHAT WAS THE USE OF YOUR VISIT SALLY IF THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT?

THEN,

AS HERE.

SIR GEOFFREY : WELL, THEY HAVE BEEN TAKEN FULLY AS POSSIBLE, WITHOUT MY BEING ABLE TO SEE

INTO THEM FOR

ACCOUNT MYSELF

IRENE SUNG (SING TAO JIH PAO) SIR GEOFFREY, YOU HAVE SAID THE THAT

JOINT DECLARATION

OFFERING THE BEST POSSIBLE GUARANTEE OF HONG KONG'S FUTURË, BUT HOW CAN YOU CONVINCE HONG KONG PEOPLE TO BELIEVE THAT THE BINDING OF THE JOINT DECLARATION WON'T VANISHED AFTER 1997?

SIR GEOFFREY

-

NOT

BE

IS THAT IS COMMITTEE.

THAT

THE

THAT VIEW

ALMOST

IT,

BEEN

TO

WELL, :

WHAT I'VE SAID

PROPOSITION

IN IS,

SUBSTANCE, COMMON GROUND. EXPRESSED BY

AFFAIRS OMELCO, AS BY THE FOREIGN EVERYONE

EVERYONE BUT ALMOST EVERYONE WHO HAS CONSIDERED HAS PROCLAIMED THE JOINT DECLARATION AS, IN ITSELF, AN ACHIEVEMENT.

НАЯ THEY'VE ALL JOINED WITH ME IN SAYING THAT CONFIDENCE IN IT SERIOUSLY WEAKENED BY WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN PEKING BUT THAT WE HAVE

THAT FROM IT AS THE BEST DEFINITION OF THE SAFEGUARDS START

PEOPLE START FROM NEED TO CONSOLIDATE AND PUT IN PLACE MORE FIRMLY. SO WE

IN LEADERSHIP THAT AND THAT'S WHY I GO ON TO SAY THAT IT'S FOR THE

SOME PEKING NOW, TO BEGIN TAKING ACTION AFTER ACTION TO HELP RESTORE CONFIDENCE IN THEIR COMMITMENT TO IT. IT WILL TAKE A GREAT DEAL TIME AND THERE'S A HUGE GAP OF GROWTH AND CONFIDENCE TO BE BUT EVERYONE AGREES THAT THE JOINT DECLARATION IS THE POINT.

BEST

OF

OVERCOME.

STARTING

/JOHN ELLIOTT