XN000022-1989-07-04 — Page 28

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TUESDAY, JULY 4, 1989

KATE ADIE: MAY I JUST PUT AS A SUPPLEMENTARY, PLEASE. YOU SAY IT TAKES A LONG TIME. THERE IS NOT A LONG TIME LEFT BEFORE 1997. ARE YOU PREPARED TO GIVE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF YEARS FOR THIS TRUST TO BE RE-ESTABLISHED?

AGO.

IT.

SIR GEOFFREY: THE DATE, 1997, WAS INSCRIBED IN HISTORY 95 YEARS I CAN'T CHANGE THAT. THE FACT THAT IT'S AS CLOSE AS IT IS UNDERLINES THE TRAGEDY INVOLVED IN WHAT HAPPENED IN PEKING A MONTH AGO, BUT WE HAVE TO START FROM WHERE WE ARE. AND WE SHALL HAVE ΤΟ PRESS ALL THE POINTS I'VE OUTLINED: AND IMPRESS THEM AT EVERY POSSIBLE OPPORTUNITY, ON CHINA. AND I DON'T JUST MEAN DRAW THEIR ATTENTION TO ONE HAS ΤΟ TRY AND SECURE THE UNDERSTANDING OF THOSE WHO CURRENTLY RULE CHINA, AND OF THOSE WHO MAY REPLACE THEM, THAT IF THEY DREAM OF ACHIEVING THE PROSPECT OF HONG KONG RETURNING TO CHINA'S GREATER SOVEREIGNTY WITH ANYTHING LIKE ITS PRESENT STABILITY AND PROSPERITY, THEN THEY HAVE GOT TO ADDRESS THEMSELVES WITH THE UTMOST SERIOUSNESS TO A WHOLE AGENDA WHICH I CAN'T SKETCH NOW

AND ALONGSIDE THAT, WE SEEK TO MOBILISE WORLD OPINION AS WIDELY AS WE POSSIBLY CAN. THE FACT THAT THE JOINT DECLARATION WAS REGISTERED WITH THE UNITED NATIONS AS A JOINT AGREEMENT BETWEEN TWO PERMANENT MEMBERS OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL, MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO COME BACK TO THAT TIME AND TIME AGAIN. IF PEKING SEEKS TO SECURE AND MAINTAIN A POSITION IN ANY SENSE COMPATIBLE WITH THAT ROLE, THEN THEY HAVE TO ADDRESS THEMSELVES TO THIS AGENDA CONTINUOUSLY, AND ENERGETICALLY.

—

ONG HOCK CHUAN (HK STANDARD} : SIR GEOFFREY, YOU SAID THAT PEOPLE HAD CONFIDENCE IN THE JOINT DECLARATION, YET 60,000 PEOPLE EMIGRATE OUT OF HONG KONG EVERY YEAR. THESE ARE THE CREAM OF HONG KONG. OBVIOUSLY, THEY DO NOT JOIN YOU IN HAVING CONFIDENCE IN THE JOINT DECLARATION. DO YOU THINK THESE PEOPLE HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE JOINT DECLARATION?

IT

STAND.

WHICH IS OF

SIR GEOFFREY: WHAT I WAS SAYING IS NOT THAT PEOPLE CAN HAVE, OR DO HAVE, OR SHOULD HAVE TOTAL CONFIDENCE IN THE JOINT DECLARATION. WHAT I WAS SAYING THOUGH IS THAT IT IS COMMON GROUND BETWEEN ALL THOSE WHO SEEK TO REPRESENT THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, AS WELL AS OURSELVES, THAT THE JOINT DECLARATION IS THE BEST PLACE ON WHICH TO REPRESENTS A DEFINITION OF WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE, SEPARATENESS FOR HONG KONG, IN A ROLE AND LIFESTYLE OF ITS OWN. COURSE, NOBODY IS ABLE TO SAY "THAT IS FOR SURE, FAIL-SAFE, FOREVER" FAR FROM IT. OF COURSE, THE PATTERN OF EMIGRATION FROM HONG KONG WHICH HAS TAKEN PLACE OVER THE YEARS ANYWAY AND WHICH IS NOW TAKING PLACE ON A MUCH MORE SUBSTANTIAL SCALE IS A MEASURE OF THE EXTENT TO WHICH PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THAT. THAT'S ONE REASON WHY I'VE GONE THROUGH THE SEVEN POINTS THAT I'VE SET OUT HERE. THEY ARE ALL THINGS THAT BRITAIN CAN DO, AND WILL DO, TO TRY AND STRENGTHEN THAT CONFIDENCE. BUT NEITHER BRITAIN NOR ANYBODY ELSE CAN DELIVER 100 PER CENT GUARANTEES OF RELIABILITY IN THAT RESPECT.

Th

NICOLA PARKINSON