XN000022-1993-05-13 — Page 12

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1993

MS ANNA WU:

HAS

COULD I JUST ASK ONE FOLLOW UP? ANYBODY THAT YOU MET GIVEN YOU ANY INDICATION OF INTEREST TO SPEAK то THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS COLLECTIVELY?

GOVERNOR:

I MUST BE CAREFUL HOW I REPLY TO THAT BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO SOUND AS THOUGH THOSE 1 HAVE SPOKEN TO HAVE IN ANY WAY BEEN CARELESS OF THE INTERESTS OF THE COUNCIL OR HAVE INSULTED THE COUNCIL. I THINK I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT I HAVE MET A NUMBER OF LEADERS IN COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD WHO HAVE EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN VISITING HONG KONG, SPEAKING TO POLITICAL LEADERS IN HONG KONG, LIKE THE MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL, BUT I HAVE NOT YET HAD A SPECIFIC REQUEST FROM THE LEADER OF ANOTHER COMMUNITY TO COME AND ADDRESS THIS COUNCIL AS A BODY. IF I GET SUCH A REQUEST I WILL OF COURSE PUT IT TO HONOURABLE MEMBERS.

AND IF I MAY SAY SO, I WHOLLY TAKE THE HONOURABLE LADY'S POINT THAT IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THIS COUNCIL ESTABLISHES RELATIONS OUTSIDE HONG KONG AND I AM SURE THAT IT WILL DO OVER THE MANY GENERATIONS FRUITFUL DEBATE AND ACTIVITY WHICH LIE AHEAD OF IT.

OF

MRS BLSIE TU:

MR PRESIDENT, MAY I ASK THE GOVERNOR THROUGH YOU A QUESTION RELATED TO THE ONE ASKED BY MRS MIRIAM LAU. LIKE MRS LAU, I AM ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR CONTINUED USE OF "QUALIFIED CONDITIONAL" OR "CONDITIONAL MEN" AND SO ON, WHATEVER TERM WAS USED TODAY. DID THE GOVERNOR AT ANY TIME, DURING SPEECHES OR CONVERSATIONS WITH AMERICAN SENATORS OR WHATEVER, USE ANY TERM EXCEPT "UNCONDITIONAL RENEWAL" BECAUSE THIS IS THE TERM WE HAVE BEEN USING IN LEGCO AND WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD SOLID SUPPORT AND I PRESUME YOU WERE REPRESENTING HONG KONG?

-

←

GOVERNOR:

OF COURSE, I ARGUED THE CASE AND I REPEAT WHAT I SAID EARLIER, FOR UNCONDITIONAL MFN RENEWAL. I ALSO SAID,

AND I AM SURE THAT THE HONOURABLE LADY WOULD AGREE WITH ME ON THIS, THAT WERE THERE TO BE CIRCUMSTANCES, WHICH I WOULD BE AGAINST REPEAT, WHICH I WOULD BE AGAINST IN WHICH THERE WAS CONDITIONAL MFN RENEWAL, THAT I VERY MUCH HOPED THAT HONG KONG'S POSITION WOULD FIRST OF ALL BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT AND SECONDLY, WOULD NOT BECOME ONE OF THE CONDITIONS. THAT SEEMS TO ME TO BE A POINT WHICH THE HONOURABLE LADY WOULD HERSELF APPROVE OF. I DON'T IMAGINE THAT WHEN I WAS TALKING то REPRESENTATIVE PELOSI FOR EXAMPLE, THAT THE HONOURABLE LADY WOULD HAVE HAD MUCH TO DISAGREE WITH ME ABOUT.

MRS ELSIE TU:

MR PRESIDENT, COULD I JUST HAVE CLARIFICATION ON WHETHER THE GOVERNOR AT ANY TIME USED THAT KIND OF QUALIFICATION WHICH HE USED THIS AFTERNOON, WHILE HE WAS TALKING ΤΟ

AMERICANS?

GOVERNOR:

I HAVE JUST ANSWERED THE HONOURABLE LADY AND I HAVE ANSWERED HER VERY PRECISELY. I ARGUED THE CASE IN PUBLIC AND IN PRIVATE FOR UNCONDITIONAL MFN RENEWAL. I ALSO SAID THAT WERE THE UNITED STATES TO INTRODUCE CONDITIONS, THOSE CONDITIONS SHOULD TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE IMPACT ON HONG KONG AND THAT THOSE CONDITIONS SHOULD NOT REFER TO HONG KONG. EXAMPLE: THE MITCHELL- PELOSI BILL WHICH IS AT PRESENT THE ONLY EXISTING STATEMENT OF A POLICY ON CONDITIONALITY, REFERS TO OUR OWN POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE CONDITIONS, AND I SAID TO REPRESENTATIVE PELOSI THAT THAT WAS EXTREMELY UNHELPFUL AND SHOULD BE DROPPED FROM THE BILL. I WOULD BE SURPRISED IF THE HONOURABLE LADY THOUGHT THAT WAS THE WRONG THING FOR ME TO DO.

/MR SIMON