XN000022-1993-09-03 — Page 2

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1993

1

GOVERNOR SPEAKS TO THE PRESS

GOOD AFTERNOON. WHEN I CAME BACK FROM LEAVE ON TUESDAY EVENING, I SAID TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAD VERY KINDLY AND COURTEOUSLY COME OUT TO THE AIRPORT TO WELCOME ME HOME, THAT I WOULD GIVE YOU AN EARLY OPPORTUNITY TO FIRE A FEW QUESTIONS AT ME, AND HERE IT IS. BUT JUST BEFORE I ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE, PERHAPS I CAN MAKE ONE OR TWO REMARKS COVERING, I SUSPECT, AT LEAST SOME OF THE SUBJECTS WHICH YOU MAY WANT TO FOLLOW UP FOR 20 MINUTES OR SO THEREAFTER.

FIRST OF ALL, I COME BACK WITH, AT THE TOP OF MY IN-TRAY, THE TASK OF PREPARING MY SECOND SPEECH TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WHICH [ WILL BE MAKING AT THE BEGINNING OF OCTOBER. IN THAT SPEECH, CLEARLY, I WILL WANT TO REPORT THE PROGRESS THAT WE HAVE MADE IN IMPLEMENTING THE FIVE YEAR AGENDA THAT I SET OUT ON SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC POLICY IN MY FIRST SPEECH LAST AUTUMN BUT I HOPE THAT I'LL ALSO HAVE THE CHANCE OF TAKING ONE OR TWO OTHER INITIATIVES, AND IN ORDER TO COME ΤΟ Α FINAL VIEW ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY THEY SHOULD BE, I WILL WANT TO TAKE AS BROAD SOUNDINGS IN THE COMMUNITY AS POSSIBLE. SO I WILL BE MEETING IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS,

THE MAIN POLITICAL GROUPS AND INDEPENDENT LEGISLATORS, то HEAR FROM THEM WHAT THEY THINK THE GOVERNMENT'S PRIORITY SHOULD BE, AND HOW THEY THINK WE SHOULD BUILD ON THE PROGRESS THAT WE HAVE MADE IN THE LAST YEAR TOWARDS THE TARGETS THAT WE SET FOR OURSELVES IN 1992.

TAKE

NINE

TENTH

SECONDLY, I WILL ALSO, OBVIOUSLY, BE REVIEWING PROGRESS IN THE TALKS THAT ARE TAKING PLACE BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN ON THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE 1994 AND 1995 ELECTIONS, ELECTIONS WHICH PLACE WHILE BRITAIN REMAINS THE SOVEREIGN POWER. WE'VE HAD ROUNDS OF TALKS SO FAR OVER THE LAST FOUR MONTHS OR So, THE ROUND STARTS TOMORROW. THAT REPRESENTS 80 HOURS OF DISCUSSIONS HAVE TAKEN PLACE, I THINK IN AN AMIABLE ATMOSPHERE, THOUGH I THINK THAT ANYBODY WHO HAS TAKEN PART IN THE TALKS, CERTAINLY I DON'T THINK THAT ANY MEMBERS OF THE BRITISH TEAM, WOULD ARGUE THAT THE PROGRESS THAT HAS BEEN MADE HAS BEEN AT A BREAKNECK OR RECKLESS PACE.

WHICH

DON'T

THE TALKS HAVE BEEN VERY USEFUL BUT THERE IS STILL A GREAT DEAL TO DO AND A GREAT DEAL TO ACCOMPLISH. WE HAVE APPROACHED THE TALKS IN AS CONSTRUCTIVE A WAY AS POSSIBLE. WE'VE TRIED TO THROW PLANKS OVER THE DIVIDE BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA ON THESE MATTERS, AND I HOPE THAT IT IS

STILL POSSIBLE TO BUILD A BRIDGE ON WHICH WE CAN ALL HAPPILY STAND. BUT THE CLOCK TICKS ON. THAT IS NOT A PLOT BY THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG OR THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, IT'S A STATEMENT OF THE OBVIOUS, AND SOONER OR LATER, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE ΤΟ

MAKE THE NECESSARY LEGISLATIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS FOR 1994 AND 1995. I HOPE, I REPEAT, THAT WE CAN REACH AGREEMENT ON THOSE MATTERS WHICH ARE STILL, ALAS, OUTSTANDING, AND I WOULD JUST LIKE ΤΟ REMIND YOU WHAT ARE FOR US THE ABSOLUTELY KEY ISSUES.

/SOMETIMES PEOPLE