XN000022-1992-07-27 — Page 14

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MONDAY, JULY 27, 1992

THE GOVERNOR:

AND IF YOU'D LIKE ME TO GIVK THE ANSWER, WHICH I HAVE GIVEN SO OFTEN THAT YOU'RE ONLY TOO FAMILIAR WITH IT, I'LL BE DELIGHTED TO DO SO. THE ANSWER IS AND YOU MAY HAVE BEEN AWAY WHEN I'VE GIVEN IT BEFORE THAT AT THE MOMENT I AM DISCUSSING WITH THE LEADERS OF THE COMMUNITY THE ROLE AND FUNCTIONS OF THE GOVERNING INSTITUTIONS OF HONG KONG AND WHEN I HAVE COMPLETED THOSE DISCUSSIONS, THAT IS THE TIME TO CONSIDER THE QUESTION OF THE COMPOSITION OF THOSE BODIES AND I WILL BE HAPPY TO DO SO AT THAT MOMENT.

STEVE VINES (THE GUARDIAN):

FOREIGN SECRETARY, WHEN YOU LEFT BEIJING WITH THE PRIME MINISTER LAST YEAR, DID YOU THINK THAT THERE WOULD BE THE KIND OF STALEMATE ON NEGOTIATIONS ABOUT THE AIRPORT WHICH HAS ARISEN SINCE? IN OTHER WORDS, DID YOU THINK THAT ONCE YOU HAD SIGNED THAT AGREEMENT THAT BASICALLY THERE WAS ONLY THE FINE-TUNING TO DO AND THE WHOLE THING WOULD GO AHEAD, OR DID YOU THINK THAT, AS HAS HAPPENED, THERE DOESN'T REALLY SEEM TO BE MUCH PROGRESS SINCE THEN?

FORBIGN SECRETARY:

OH, I THINK THERE'S BEEN A LOT

OF PROGRESS. WE NOW KNOW WHAT WAS NOT CLEAR BEFORK, THAT THE CHINESE VIEW IS THAT THE AIRPORT SHOULD BE BUILT AND BUILT TN HONG KONG. YOU'LL REMEMBER THAT THERE WAS A GOOD DEAL OF QUESTIONING ON THAT VERY POINT, I THINK LAST TIME I HAD A PRESS CONFERENCE HERR. S0 THERE'S. BEEN PROGRESS. UP. FROM THEM.

E DIDN'T FORESEE THIS PARTICULAR DIFFICULTY COMING IT WAS PERFECTLY LIKELY THAT THERE WOULD BE SPECIFIC PROBLEMS TIME TO TIME AND THAT IS WHY MACHINERY WAS SET UP TO DRAI WITH

LET'S TRY AND GET THAT MACHINERY TO DO ITS JOB.

FANNY WONG, (SCMP):

FOREIGN SECRETARY, WELL JUST NOW YOU STRESSED ABOUT THE NEED FOR CONTINUITY, AND DO YOU THINK THERE IS A NEED FOR THE THROUGH-TRAIN ARRANGEMENT FOR EXCO MEMBERS?

FOREIGN SECRETARY:

WELL, I WAS TALKING THEN ABOUT THE LEGCO ELECTIONS. I THINK WHEN I MENTIONED THE PHRASE 'THROUGH-TRAIN' I WAS TALKING ABOUT THE CONTINUITY OF THE 1996 ELECTIONS THROUGH 1997. I DON'T THINK I WANT TO ADD ΤΟ WHAT THE GOVERNOR HAS SAID ABOUT EXCO.

FANNY WONG, (SCMP):

BUT EXCO IS ALSO PART OF

THE GOVERNMENT SYSTEM, AND A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THE GOVERNMENT SYSTEM

FOREIGN SECRETARY:

YES.

FANNY WONG, (SCMP);

IS A NEED FOR DISCUSSIONS WITH CHINA ON A FOR EXCO MEMBERS WHO CAN STRADDLE 1997?

DO YOU THINK THAT THERE THROUGH-TRAIN ARRANGEMENT

FOREIGN SECRETARY:

ΤΟ

WEIL THAT'S FOR THE GOVERNOR

DECIDE, BUT THE APPOINTMENTS TO EXCO ARE NOT A MATTER FOR THE PRC THEY ARE A MATTER FOR THE GOVERNOR.

THE GOVERNOR:

THAT I WON'T BE APPOINTING EXCO IN 1998, MEMBERS OF EXCO BETWEEN NOW AND 1997.

FANNY WONG, (SCMP):

WHAT YOU CAN DEPEND ON 18 BUT I WILL BR APPOINTING

SO BETWEEN NOW AND 1997

/THE GOVERNOR: