TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 1993
17
not have the right to talk if there were talks. A spokesman of the NCNA said Hong Kong Government officials had no right to be
part of any British team. These are curious things to be saying
after 11
11 or
12 years in which we have not always had as
successful or as amiable discussions as we might have liked, but
we have managed to establish a dialogue, a discourse, on a basis
which would cause no difficulties with any other sovereign powers
in the world.
JIM KERR (Emeritus Professor):
First of all, as a
member of Chris Patten's former constituency at Bath, I might say
how delighted I am to see him here!
A few years ago, I spent some time at the University of
Macao. The question I would like to put is, does the Governor
think that there might be some lessons to be drawn from the way
the Portuguese Government has handled the question of the return
of Macao to China in 19992 As a footnote, I would add that
there is a huge airport being built in Macao with full Chinese
co-operation.
CHRIS PATTEN: First of all, thank you very much indeed
for the compliment which Rab Butler would have been proud of!
I put it in the same category as the telegram he once sent to a
dinner I was attending for a retiring
a retiring senior Conservative
neighbour. Rab telegrammed us from Trinity College saying,
"Sorry I cannot be with you this evening because of flu. There
is no-one whose farewell dinner I would rather have attended"!
I know, Jim, it was well intended at least, I think it was well
intended!
-
/MUCH AS
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