XN000022-1994-07-26 — Page 2

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 1994

1

TRANSCRIPT OF THE GOVERNOR'S MEDIA SESSION OUTSIDE THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

FOLLOWING IS THE

HON

TRANSCRIPT OF THE GOVERNOR, THE RT CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, SPEAKING TO REPORTERS OUTSIDE THE HOUSE OF COMMONS AT NOON ON JULY 26:

GOVERNOR:

GOOD

THIS

AND

MORNING. I HAVE HAD TWO VERY GOOD MEETINGS MORNING WITH THE LEADER OF THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS, PADDY ASHDOWN, ALSO WITH DAVID HOWELL, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS FOREIGN AFFAIRS SELECT COMMITTEE.

OF

OUR

THEY HAVE BOTH BEEN VERY UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORTIVE EFFORTS IN HONG KONG TO ENSURE THAT THERE ARE CLEAN AND FAIR ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS IN 1994 AND 1995. THEY HAVE SHOWN AS WELL, AS YOU KNOW, A BROADER INTEREST IN THE WELFARE AND LIVELIHOOD OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, AND I WAS VERY PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO BRIEF THEM THIS MORNING ON DEVELOPMENTS, ON OUR VIEWS ON THE WAY FORWARD, THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING AS MUCH CO-OPERATION IN THE INTERESTS OF HONG KONG AS POSSIBLE OVER THE

THAT NEXT THREE YEARS, IN PARTICULAR, OF COURSE, OVER LONG LIST OF JLG ISSUES WHICH, ALAS, STILL REMAIN UNRESOLVED.

QUESTION:

RIGHTS?

HAVE

THEY BEEN CRITICAL OF YOU OVER THE ISSUE OF HUMAN

GOVERNOR:

OBVIOUSLY

THEY WERE NOT CRITICAL DURING MY MEETINGS, BUT I

VIEWS. LEAVE IT TO THEM TO SET OUT IN DETAIL THEIR OWN WAS ABLE TO EXPLAIN TO THEM WHAT WE ARE DOING IN DETAIL TO ENSURE MAXIMUM SAFEGUARDS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN HONG KONG. I TOLD THEM OUR DECISIONS ON THE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMISSION, ABOUT DECISIONS ON THE FUTURE OF LEGAL AID, ABOUT OUR DECISIONS ON OPENING UP GOVERNMENT AND MAKING GOVERNMENT MORE

WERE TRANSPARENT. THEY OBVIOUSLY INTERESTED IN ALL THOSE DEVELOPMENTS.

MUST

I

THE

ABOUT OUR

US

THE

TALKED FOREIGN

QUESTION: HOW WAS YOUR MEETING WITH THE PRIME MINISTER LAST NIGHT?

GOVERNOR: 1 HAD A VERY INTERESTING MEETING WITH THE PRIME MINISTER, AND IT IS THE FIRST TIME THAT THE WEATHER HAS BEEN GOOD ENOUGH FOR TO HAVE A MEETING IN THE GARDEN! HE WAS

IN VERY INTERESTED PROGRESS THAT HAS BEEN MADE IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS SINCE I LAST TO HIM. I WAS ABLE TO SET OUT FOR HIM, AS I DID FOR THE

TO SECRETARY, MY THOUGHTS ON THE WAY FORWARD IN HONG KONG. I WAS ABLE

ABOUT THE TELL THEM ABOUT THE STRENGTH OF OUR 'ECONOMY IN HONG KONG, IMPORTANT

AND DEBATE WE ARE HAVING ABOUT PROVISION FOR THE ELDERLY ALSO ΤΟ TALK TO THEM IN SOME DETAIL ABOUT THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP

THEY WERE VERY

LEAST INTERESTED AND NOT AGENDA.

IN THOUGHTS ABOUT MY PRIORITIES FOR MY SPEECH TO THE LEGISLATIVE IN OCTOBER.

HEARING

MY

COUNCIL

QUESTION: WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE SOME OF YOUR VIEWS ON EVOLUTION OF HONG KONG?

THE FUTURE

SPEECH IN OF THE THE

GOVERNOR: FIRST OF ALL, I WILL BE DOING THAT IN MY LEGCO OCTOBER, BUT I WANTED TO SKETCH OUT FOR THEM IN GENERAL SOME THEMES THAT I

FOR WOULD WANT TO BE TAKING FORWARD,

EXAMPLE, REMAINING ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL PRIORITIES BETWEEN NOW AND 1997, AND OUR OFFICIALS DETERMINATION TO WORK IN AS CO-OPERATIVE A WAY WITH CHINESE AS POSSIBLE.

/QUESTION