XN000022-1994-02-01 — Page 2

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1994

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SENSIBLE FINANCING PROPOSALS FOR NEW AIRPORT: GOVERNOR

THE GOVERNOR, THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, BELIEVES THAT THE LATEST FINANCING PROPOSALS FOR THE NEW AIRPORT, THE FOURTH SET THE GOVERNMENT HAS PUT FORWARD, ADDRESSES ALL THE EXPRESSED CHINESE CONCERNS.

SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING TODAY (TUESDAY), MR PATTEN SAID THE GOVERNMENT WOULD BE PASSING THE PROPOSALS ΤΟ THE CHINESE SIDE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, ADDING THAT HE WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO SEE AN EARLY MEETING OF THE AIRPORT COMMITTEE TO RESOLVE THOSE ISSUES ONCE AND FOR ALL.

"WE ARE PASSING THE PROPOSALS TO THE CHINESE SIDE, OBVIOUSLY WE WOULDN'T WANT TO GO INTO DETAIL ABOUT THEM DESPITE SPECULATION THAT THERE HAS BEEN IN THE NEWSPAPERS AND THE LAST FEW DAYS ON THE PRECISE DETAILS.

"WB WOULDN'T WANT TO GO INTO THOSE DETAILS UNTIL SIDE HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF STUDYING THEM," HE SAID.

SOME OF THE ELSEWHERE IN

THE CHINESE

DESCRIBING THE PROPOSALS AS SENSIBLE, MR PATTEN SAID HE VERY MUCH HOPED THAT THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD TAKE THAT VIEW AS WELL.

"I HOPE THAT IF CHINESE CONCERNS WERE WHAT THEY SAID THEY WERE, THEY WOULD FIND THIS AN EXCELLENT LUNAR NEW YEAR PRESENT FOR HONG KONG, FOR CHINA, FOR EVERYONE.

"IT'S A VERY GOOD PACKAGE AND I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT IT WILL THE TRICK," HE ADDED.

DO

ASKED WHETHER THE GOVERNMENT WOULD PROCEED WITH THE AIRPORT RAILWAY ON ITS ORIGINAL SCHEDULE, THE GOVERNOR SAID HE THOUGHT WHAT HONG KONG WANTED TO SEE WAS THE WHOLE PROJECT, AIRPORT AIRPORT, FINISHED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

RAILWAY AND

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