XN000022-1989-07-04 — Page 32

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TUESDAY, JULY 4, 1989

CHRIS POMERY:

GEOFFREY, I WAS TALKING то ONE OF YOUR ADVISERS THE OTHER DAY AND HE SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT PLANNING FOR A CATASTROPHE, SO IT'S NOT CLEAR WHAT OTHER GOVERNMENTS WOULD DO. I MEAN, SINCE HONG KONG PEOPLE ARE VERY ANXIOUS TO KNOW WHAT THEIR FUTURE MIGHT BE, COULD YOU PLEASE AMPLIFY JUST A LITTLE BIT?

SIR GEOFFREY: WELL. NO GOVERNMENT PLANS FOR A CATASTROPHE . THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, THE LAST THING THEY WANT US TO DO IS TO PLAN FOK A CATASTROPHE,

CHRIS POMERY: WELL, A LOT OF CATASTROPHE HERE.

PEOPLE ARE PLANNING FOR A

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SIR GEOFFREY: YOU'RE JOINING THE RANKS OF THE HECKLERS.. SO FAR AS CATASTROPHE IS CONCERNED, WHAT WE CAN DO IS TO TRY AND ENSURE A FULL WIDESPREAD DEEP PERCEPTION OF JUST HOW CATACLYSMIC THAT WOULD BE, AND A WILLINGNESS BY KEY GOVERNMENTS TO RESPOND GENEROUSLY AND EFFECTIVELY IN FACE OF THAT, AND THAT'S THE PROPOSITION I'VE ALREADY BEEN PUTTING TO SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES. THAT IS THE ULTIMATE CATACLYSM SCENARIO. AHEAD OF THAT, AS I SAY, THE MOST INSTANT THING IS TO SECURE A SENSIBLE RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION OF ECONOMIC SANCTIONS, NAMELY ΤΟ RULE THEM OUT. IN BETWEEN, IT MAY BE POSSIBLE IT MAY BE POSSIBLE, I SAY NO MORE THAN THAT TO SECURE SOME MORE SPECIFIC HELP FROM A WIDER RANGE OF COUNTRIES IN RESPONSE TO THE CRY FOR SOME KIND OF INSURANCE POLICY. I DON'T KNOW.

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STEWART PALLISTER (ATV NEWS): YOUR COLLEAGUE, ROBERT ADLEY. HAS SUGGESTED THAT BRITAIN WOULD TURN ITS BACK ON HONG KONG IF HONG KONG WERE TO BECOME UNGOVERNABLE BEFORE 1997. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT? AND THE POSSIBILITY THAT HONG KONG MAY BECOME UNGOVERNABLE?

SIR GEOFFREY: WELL ON THAT POINT. I'VE ALREADY DEALT WITH THAT AND SAID THAT UNGOVERNABILITY, IN FACE OF THE RECORD AND ACHIEVEMENT OF HONG KONG AND THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OVER RECENT MONTHS AND YEARS, SEEMS TO ME TO BE A VERY UNLIKELY PROPOSITION. BECUASE HONG KONG HAS GOT AN EXTREMELY GOOD GOVERNMENT, OF GROWING EXPERIENCE. OF GROWING INDEPENDENCE FROM THE UK, ESTABLISHING WITH EVERY MONTH THAT PASSES, A STRONGER AND STRONGER TRACK RECORD FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE SAR WHEN THAT COMES. SO FAR AS MY COLLEAGUE, MR ADLEY, IS CONCERNED, HE IS ONE OF WHAT IS IT, 400 CONSERVATIVE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT? HE IS,

EMPHATICALLY, NOT A MEMBER OF THE GOVERNMENT, AND HE SPEAKS FOR HIMSELF AND I HOLD MYSELF NOT IN ANY SENSE ACCOUNTABLE FOR HIS VIEWS.

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