XN000022-1992-11-02 — Page 10

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1992

(REUTERS}

KONG YOU'VE WITH THE TRYING TO IF

MR PATTEN, SINCE YOU'VE ARRIVED IN HONG CONSTANTLY STRESSED YOUR

RELATIONSHIP CLOSE POLITICAL LEADERSHIP IN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT. IS IT THAT YOU'RE SAY THAT YOU'RE NEGOTIATING POSITION WITH CHINA WOULD BE WEAKENED

WERE OTHER PERSONALITIES THAT LEADERSHIP WERE TO CHANGE, IF THERE THERE, OR EVEN ANOTHER PRIME MINISTER?

-

—

WHIP AT

MB

I DON'T

I THINK

ᎢᎻᎪᎢ .

THAT

GOVERNOR:

WELL I THINK THAT'S THE LABOUR PARTY CHIEF THE BACK FIRST OF ALL IT'S, ON THE WHOLE, NOT BEEN ME WHO'S STRESSED THE CLOSENESS OF THAT RELATIONSHIP BUT OTHERS WHO'VE WRITTEN ABOUT OR SPOKEN ABOUT ME, BUT IT EXISTS, IT'S A MATTER OF FACT. THINK,

HOWEVER, THAT YOUR QUESTION WILL ARISE, SINCE I BELIEVE FOR INSTANCE IF YOU'RE REFERRING TO EVENTS THIS WEEK

I WAS INTERESTED, THE THE GOVERNMENT WILL WIN THE VOTE ON WEDNESDAY.

ENDORSED OTHER DAY, THAT THE LEADER OF THE LIBERAL PARTY BY AND LARGE

THE THE

OTHER POLICY

I WAS INTERESTED THAT THAT I'D PUT FORWARD.

BY AND LARGE DAY, THE SPOKESMAN ON HONG KONG FOR THE LABOUR PARTY

HE WOULD HAVE ENDORSED THE PROPOSALS THAT I'D PUT FORWARD, THOUGH LIKED ME TO HAVE GONE RATHER FURTHER. SO IT APPEARS AS THOUGH IS FAIRLY BI-PARTISAN SUPPORT IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS FOR THE POLICIES SOME WHICH I'VE BEEN PURSUING. THEREFORE, I DON'T IMAGINE THAT EVEN

OR NAMELESS CALAMITY AT WESTMINSTER WOULD MAKE VERY MUCH DIFFERENCE,

BUT I LIKE MY FRIENDS ANY DIFFERENCE AT ALL, TO POLICY IN HONG KONG.

EVENTS THIS TO DO WELL IN LIFE AND THEREFORE MY OWN FEELINGS ABOUT WEEK AT WESTMINSTER CAN BE TAKEN AS READ.

THERE

(ASIAN WALL STREET JOURNAL} : GOVERNOR, YOU HAVE SAID THAT THERE HAVE BEEN NO SECRET DEALS. COULD WE INVITE YOU, TODAY, TO GO ON RECORD AS SAYING THAT FOR THE REMAINDER OF YOUR TENURE AS GOVERNOR HERE, WILL BE NO SECRET DEALS WITH CHINA?

THERE

GOVERNOR:

ON THERE WILL BE NO SECRET DEALS, NOR COULD THERE BE, THE POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG. IF YOU'RE SAYING, WILL THERE CHINA WHICH IS NEVER BE ANYTHING WE DISCUSS ABOUT THE FUTURE WITH SECRET, THEN I'D BE A LIAR IF I SAID," NO, WE'LL NEVER TALK TO CHINA. BUT I DON'T THINK THAT IT'S POSSIBLE TO TALK CENTRAL ISSUES AFFECTING THE GOVERNMENT OF THIS COMMUNITY PUBLIC THEMSELVES HAVING A SHARE IN THE DEBATE AND

THE

SECRETLY ABOUT THE WITHOUT THE DISCUSSION.

ELECTIONS,

IF, IN MY SPEECH TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ON THE 7TH OF OCTOBER, I'D SAID, "NOW I TURN TO THE 1995 LEGISLATIVE I'M GOING TO GO AND TALK ABOUT THEM IN PEKING AND WHEN WE'VE SORTED IT I DON'T THINK THAT ALL OUT WE'LL LET YOU KNOW, BUT WATCH THIS SPACE.",

AND I CAN'T THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN CONDUCIVE TO POLITICAL STABILITY

WOULD HAVE BEEN HONESTLY COMPREHEND

ANYBODY COULD THINK THAT HOW CONDUCIVE TO POLITICAL STABILITY. ONE OF THE THINGS WHICH WOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY RESULTED WOULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT PUFF OF SPECULATION ABOUT HAVE BEEN ENDLESS EXEGESIS OF THE MEANING OF EVERY WORD, THERE WOULD

AND EVERY PUNCTUATION MARK IN EVERY SPEECH IN EVERY PRESS CONFERENCE

LED TO AN AT CONFERENCES ON THE AIRPORT. I THINK IT WOULD HAVE IMPOSSIBLE SEVERAL MONTHS OR YEARS IN HONG KONG.

/IF IT'S

Page 10Page 11

10