XN000022-1993-10-06 — Page 54

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1993

THIS IS A GREAT COMMUNITY.

IT'S BEEN THROUGH SOME TURBULENT TIMES IN THE LAST YEAR BUT EVEN MORE TURBULENT TIMES IN THE PAST. BUT WE'VE THRIVED AND PROSPERED A SOURCE OF WONDER TO THE WORLD BECAUSE WE'VE BUILT ON VALUES THAT LAST AND BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IN OURSELVES.

IF WE HOLD ON TO THESE VALUES, AND KEEP OUR CONFIDENCE AND OUR NERVE, WE'LL GO ON DOING WELL BEFORE 1997 AND AFTER 1997, AN OPEN COMMUNITY, A DECENT COMMUNITY, A PROSPEROUS COMMUNITY, A COMMUNITY WHICH ALL OF YOU CAN BE PROUD.

OF

GOVERNOR'S PRESS CONFERENCE ON HIS POLICY ADDRESS

*

ARE.

GOVERNOR: I THINK I'VE SAID ENOUGH FOR ONE DAY, WHY DON'T I TURN OCCASION OVER TO YOU AND INVITE YOUR QUESTIONS. IF YOU COULD SAY, I MEAN I KNOW WHO MOST OF YOU ARE OR WHO A LOT OF YOU YOU COULD JUST SAY BEFORE ASKING YOUR QUESTION WHO YOU ARE AND YOU COME FROM AND KEEP IT TO ONE QUESTION.

THE

JUST

IF WHERE

QUESTION: IN YOUR SPEECH YOU SAID THAT WE NOW HAVE ONLY WEEKS RATHER THAN MONTHS TO CONCLUDE THESE TALKS. DO YOU MEAN THAT AFTER YOU COME BACK FROM BRITAIN IN EARLY NOVEMBER, WE WILL KNOW THE RESULT, WHETHER WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT OR YOU WILL TABLE YOUR PROPOSAL TO LEGCO?

GOVERNOR: I'VE BEEN SCRUPULOUSLY CAREFUL OVER THE WEEKS AND MONTHS TO AVOID SETTING DEADLINES BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THAT'S VERY HELPFUL IN A NEGOTIATION LIKE THIS BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THERE ISN'T A MOMENT WHEN THE MUSIC HAS TO STOP AND AS YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS TO HAVE LEAKED OUT, I'M NOT QUITE SURE HOW. I'M GOING TO LONDON IN NOVEMBER FOR A CABINET COMMITTEE MEETING TO DISCUSS PROGRESS IN THE TALKS. I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT THE DISCUSSIONS THAT WE HAVE WITH CHINESE OFFICIALS DURING OCTOBER WILL ENABLE ME, AT THAT POINT WITH SIR ROBIN MCLAREN TO ANNOUNCE THAT PROGRESS HAS BEEN RAPID AND THAT WE'RE GETTING SOMEWHERE. OBVIOUSLY AT THAT POINT, THE BRITISH CABINET WILL HAVE ΤΟ REVIEW THE SITUATION IN THE KNOWLEDGE, AS I SAID EARLIER, THAT THERE IS A DIFFICULT TIME SCALE FOR US. BECAUSE WITH THE BEST WILL IN THE WORLD, WE HAVE TO GET ON AND MAKE THE LEGISLATIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS FOR 1994 AND 1995. SO, I'M GOING TO CONTINUE TO DUCK AND WEAVE AND NOT GIVE YOU A PRECISE ANSWER ABOUT DEADLINES BECAUSE I REPEAT, THAT IT'S NOT HELPFUL BUT EVERYONE KNOWS, INCLUDING PRESUMABLY CHINESE OFFICIALS, INCLUDING PRESUMABLY THE NCNA, THAT NEXT YEAR IS 1994.

QUESTION: MR PATTEN, YOU MENTIONED THAT IT HAS BEEN A YEAR OF SUCCESS IN EVERY AREA EXCEPT THE AREA FOR CLOSE UNDERSTANDING WITH THE CHINESE SIDE. DO YOU EXPECT THIS AREA WILL STILL BE A THORNY QUESTION IN COMING YEAR AND IF SO HOW ARE YOU GOING TO IMPROVE IT?

THE

/GOVERNOR: IT