XN000022-1991-04-09 — Page 14

13

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 1991

SINCE

HUMPHREY HAWKSLEY (BBC): MR HURD, IT'S NEARLY TWO YEARS THE SUPPRESSION OF THE STUDENT PRO-DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT IN PEKING, COULD YOU PERHAPS LOOK BACK A BIT YOU'RE DEALING WITH THE SAMB GOVERNMENT NOW

AND TELL US HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE NATURE OF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE YOU'RE NEGOTIATING WITH?

WAS

MR HURD: THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT RUN A SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT WHICH PRODUCED IN 1989 A TRAGEDY ABOUT WHICH EVERYBODY, AND CERTAINLY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND MANY, MANY PEOPLE HERE, EXPRESSED VERY STRONG VIEWS. THEY RUN A SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT WHICH PRODUCES A CONTINUING ANXIETY ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS AND I MADE THE POINT IN PEKING TWICE то LEADERS THAT IT WAS A MISTAKE TO SUPPOSE THAT PEOPLE WHO EXPRESSED THIS ANXIETY WERE IN SOME WAY ENEMIES OF CHINA, THAT IT WAS PERFECTLY POSSIBLE TO BE FRIENDLY TO CHINA AND TO EXPRESS THESE ANXIETIES, AND THAT THE FOREIGN MINISTER OF A DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY NOT DOING HIS JOB IF HE DIDN'T EXPRESS THOSE ANXIETIES IN PEKING, 1 DID IT IN GENERAL TERMS AND WITH RELATION, AS I'VE SAID, TO TIBET AND TO SPECIFIC PEOPLE LIVING IN HONG KONG. SO THERE'S A CONTINUING PROBLEM WHICH DIDN'T START IN JUNE 4, 1989 AND HASN'T FINISHED SINCE THEN, IT IS A CONTINUING PROBLEM. IT'S A PROBLEM AS AN ANXIETY WHICH CAN BE AND IN MY VIEW SHOULD BE STATED TO THE CHINESE LEADERS, MAKING IT CLEAR THAT THIS ISN'T AN ATTACK UPON CHINA, IT ISN'T DONE BY PROPLE WHO WISH CHINA ILL, BUT THE CONTRARY. THAT, I THINK CAN BE ACHIEVED.

WASN'T.

AND

CLAUDIA MO: AREN'T YOU INTERFERING IN CHINA'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS?

MR HURD: WELL DO YOU KNOW, I EXPECTED TO BE TOLD THAT AND

C.K. CHBUNG (TVB NEWS): MR HURD, YOU DID EXPLAIN TO US VERY CLEARLY ABOUT HOW TO CO-OPERATE WITH CHINA, AND YOUR POSITION, YOUR PRINCIPLE, ΤΟ CONSULT AND TO CO-OPERATE. CAN YOU GIVE US THE SAME GUIDELINE ABOUT HOW WILL YOU ACCEPT

YOU SAY LIKE WILL

ACCEPT IN PRINCIPLE TO PUT ASIDE A LUMP-SUM NOW, OR YOU JUST PROMISE AN AMOUNT IN 1997?

-

MR HURD: NO, THAT COMES CLEARLY UNDER THE HEADING OF ONE OF THE POINTS THAT IS BEING DISCUSSED AND HAS NOT BEEN AGREED, AND ON WHICH THEREFORE I WOULDN'T PREFER TO COMMENT FURTHER THAN I HAVE, BUT I HAVE ᎠᎬᎪᏞᎢ . IN ANSWER TO A QUESTION FROM ONE OF YOUR COLLEAGUES, WITH THE PRINCIPLE WHICH I THINK IS INVOLVED HERE.

HARVEY PONG (WAH KIU YAT PO): THE DALAI LAMA, THE SPIRITUAL LEADER OF TIBET, VISITED LONDON AND BOTH YOU AND THE PRIME MINISTER REFUSED TO MEET HIM. BY DOING SO, DO YOU MEAN TO SEND A STRONG SIGNAL

THE PEKING THAT THE UK HAS NO INTENTION TO INTERFERE IN AFFAIRS OF CHINA?

ΤΟ

INTERNAL

/MR HURD