XN000022-1994-07-07 — Page 14

13

THURSDAY, JULY 7, 1994

GOVERNOR:

FIRST OF ALL, AND SINCE THE HONOURABLE LADY DIDN'T ASK A QUESTION ABOUT ALLEGED INCONSISTENCY, I WON'T GIVE MY REPLY WHICH WILL POINT OUT THERE IS NONE AND THAT WILL SAVE A GOOD DEAL OF TIME.

SECONDLY, IT IS THE VIEW OF THE UNITED KINGDOM GOVERNMENT AND OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT THAT THERE ISN'T ANY PROBLEM OF INTERPRETATION WITH THE JOINT DECLARATION AND THAT THERE ISN'T, FOR EXAMPLE, ANY DOUBT ABOUT THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF BOTH SIDES UNDER THAT JOINT DECLARATION. SAY, IF TO PUT IT IN ONE WAY IT WOULD BE TO RAISE DOUBTS WHICH WE DON'T THINK EXIST FOR US TO FOLLOW THE COURSE OF ACTION SUGGESTED BY THE HONOURABLE LADY. FOR EXAMPLE, IN OUR VIEW THERE IS NO DOUBT AT ALL ABOUT THE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANTS AND THE BILL OF RIGHTS AND THE JOINT DECLARATION, WE THINK THAT'S A MATTER WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY CLEAR AND I WOULDN'T WANT TO RAISE A SINGLE QUESTION MARK ABOUT IT. SO THE SHORT ANSWER TO THE HONOURABLE MEMBER'S QUESTION IS, WE DON'T THINK THAT IS NECESSARY TO GO TO THE UN FOR GUIDANCE ON THE JOINT DECLARATION AND I THINK THE UK GOVERNMENT SET OUT THE REASONS FOR THAT PRETTY CLEARLY IN THEIR RESPONSE TO THE FAC.

MS ANNA WU:

IT

HAPPEN

MR PRESIDENT, MY QUESTION WAS WHAT WILL WHEN IT COMES TO A REQUEST FROM HONG KONG FOR A UN VIEW? WHAT IS THE GOVERNOR'S COMMENT TO THAT PARTICULAR QUESTION, WHEN A REQUEST IS MADE FOR A UN VIEW FROM HONG KONG?

GOVERNOR:

PERHAPS I'M BEING EVEN DENSER THAN NORMAL, I AM NOT ENTIRELY FOLLOWING THE HONOURABLE MEMBER'S QUESTION BECAUSE THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT DOESN'T THINK THAT THERE IS ANY DOUBT ABOUT THE JOINT DECLARATION. IF THE HONOURABLE MEMBER IS SAYING, WHAT HAPPENS IF THERE ARE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY WHO THINK THERE ARE DOUBTS, THEN THEY WOULD NEED TO PURSUE THEM THROUGH THE NORMAL CHANNELS BUT I DON'T THINK, SINCE THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT DOESN'T BELIEVE THERE IS ANY DOUBT, THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, IN THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES, WOULD BE REQUIRED ΤΟ GO TO THE UK GOVERNMENT TO GO TO THE UN. BUT IS THE HONOURABLE MEMBER REFERRING TO AFTER 1997?

MS ANNA WU:

HONG KONG.

GOVERNOR:

THE SAR GOVERNMENT SHOULD MAKE THAT REQUEST FOR

MEMBER OF THE GOVERNMENT AND

THE SAR GOVERNMENT WILL NOT BE A UNITED NATIONS, IT WOULD HAVE TO GO TO THE SOVEREIGN ASK THE SOVEREIGN GOVERNMENT TO GO TO THE UN AS A MEMBER OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL AND ASK FOR ITS VIEW.

I'M HAVING DIFFICULTY IMAGINING THE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH THIS MIGHT HAPPEN BUT THAT WOULD BE THE SITUATION IN INTERNATIONAL LAW.

THINK

MR STEVEN POON:

YOUR EXCELLENCY, YOU HAVE BEEN THE GOVERNOR FOR EXACTLY TWO YEARS AND THE PUBLIC PERCEPTION HAS BEEN THAT THE NUMBER ONE ITEM ON YOUR AGENDA IN THE LAST TWO YEARS HAS BEEN THE POLITICAL PACKAGE, THE POLITICAL REFORM. THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OR COMMENTARIES WRITTEN IN BOTH ENGLAND AND IN HONG KONG CONCLUDING THAT YOUR ROLE AS THE GOVERNOR IN THE NEXT THREE YEARS WILL DIMINISH. MAYBE THAT IS TERRIBLY UNKIND AND I'M NOT SOMEONE WHO'S USED TO BEING UNKIND ΤΟ THE GOVERNOR, BUT PERHAPS YOU COULD TELL US WHAT IS YOUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY, NUMBER ONE ITEM ON YOUR AGENDA FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS IF YOU ARE TO STAY AS THE GOVERNOR UNTIL THE 30TH JUNF 1997? THANK YOU.

/GOVERNOR