XN000022-1994-07-25 — Page 2

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MONDAY, JULY 25, 1994

TRANSCRIPT OF THE GOVERNOR'S DOORSTEP INTERVIEW OUTSIDE FCO

FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE DOORSTEP INTERVIEW OF THE GOVERNOR OUTSIDE THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE ON JULY 25:

I HAVE

HAD TWO VERY

GOVERNOR:

GOOD MEETINGS WITH THE FOREIGN SECRETARY, WITH MR GOODLAD AND SENIOR OFFICIALS AT WHICH WE HAVE REVIEWED A NUMBER OF ISSUES IN THE LIGHT OF THE SUCCESSFUL PASSAGE OF OUR BILL ON ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR 1994 AND 1995.

DONE. WE

AS I HAVE SAID BEFORE, WE BELIEVE THAT THAT IS NOW HAVE DRAWN A LINE ON THE PAGE AND WE WANT TO GET ON AND SEE AS MUCH CO-OPERATION ACROSS THE BOARD IN THE INTERESTS OF HONG KONG AS POSSIBLE. WE, AND THE MINISTERS, WERE VERY PLEASED BY THE AGREEMENT ON DEFENCE LANDS WHICH REPRESENTED THE OUTCOME OF NEARLY SEVEN YEARS OF DIFFICULT DISCUSSION AND NEGOTIATION.

I HAVE BEEN TALKING TO THE FOREIGN SECRETARY AND MR GOODLAD ABOUT THE AIRPORT WHERE WE SEEM TO BE CLOSE TO AN AGREEMENT. THERE ARE STILL ONE OR TWO ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE CRACKED BUT THEY ARE PRETTY SMALL IN COMPARISON WITH SOME OF THE ISSUES ON WHICH I THINK WE HAVE AGREED. I HOPE THAT WE CAN GET AHEAD WITH THAT AS SOON AS

POSSIBLE.

WE

WE WANT TO MAKE PROGRESS ON THE CONTAINER TERMINAL BECAUSE ARE WORRIED ABOUT OUR PORT BECOMING TOO CROWDED. WE WANT TO SEE THE PORT DEVELOPED AS SUCCESSFULLY AS POSSIBLE AND THERE IS A RANGE OF JOINT LIAISON GROUP (JLG) ISSUES ON WHICH WE NEED TO MAKE AS RAPID PROGRESS AS POSSIBLE. THERE HAVE BEEN 29 MEETINGS OF THE JLG SO FAR. THERE ARE ONLY ABOUT NINE LEFT AND THERE IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK TO DO. WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT THAT AS WELL.

I WILL BE SEEING THE PRIME MINISTER LATER ON THIS EVENING WILL BE TALKING TO HIM ABOUT A NUMBER OF THESE ISSUES. LATER IN THE WEEK, I AM SEEING THE LABOUR PARTY'S SPOKESMAN, JACK CUNNINGHAM. I AM SEEING PADDY ASHDOWN AND THE CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS FOREIGN AFFAIRS SELECT COMMITTEE, SO I HAVE A PRETTY FULL PROGRAMME.

AND

QUESTION: WOULD YOU NOMINATE DEMOCRATS INTO THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL TO THANK THEM FOR SUPPORTING YOU?

GOVERNOR: SINCE THE AUTUMN OF 1992, I HAVE SAID THAT I THOUGHT IT WAS RIGHT TO SEPARATE THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AT THIS POINT IN HONG KONG'S DEVELOPMENT.

POLITICAL

I SAID ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS THAT THAT WAS THE DECISION THAT WE HAD TAKEN FOR THE TIME BEING. I ALSO SAID THAT COMB THE AUTUMN OF NEXT YEAR I AM SURE THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND COMMUNITY WOULD HAVE VIEWS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EXCO AND LEGCO. I HAVE SAID THOSE THINGS ON MANY OCCASIONS AND THEY DO NOT REPRESENT ANY SHIFT IN POLICY.

WILL

QUESTION: ON THE AIRPORT FINANCIAL PACKAGE, REGARDING THE $23 BILLION TO BE RAISED BY THE PAA OR ITS SUCCESSOR AND THE MTRC,

THE GOVERNMENT COMMIT IT IN BLACK AND WHITE TO ASSURE THE CHINESE THAT THE $23 BILLION WILL NOT IN ANY WAY BECOME A GOVERNMENT LIABILITY?

/GOVERNOR