XN000022-1994-09-16 — Page 11

L

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1994

ONE

IS

HAVE

NOW,

I'M NOT GOING TO SAY THAT ONE MEETING IN NEW YORK OR MEETING OF THE JLG OR TWO MEETINGS OF THE JLG, ALL THAT SITUATION GOING TO BE TRANSFORMED AND ALL THE POLITICAL DIFFICULTIES WHICH

IT MAY TAKE LONGER THAN OBSCURED THE SHARED INTEREST WILL DISAPPEAR. THAT WHICH IS WHY I TALKED OF PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE. INTEREST IS NOT A CATCH PHRASE, IT'S A REALITY. OF THE JOINT DECLARATION AND WE NEED TO RETURN TO THAT SENSE OF SHARED NOT REALITY BECAUSE ALL THE OTHER OPTIONS ARE DAMAGING TO EVERYBODY, JUST TO ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER BUT TO EVERYBODY.

GOVERNOR: THANK YOU VERY MUCH INDEED.

FOREIGN SECRETARY: THANKS A LOT.

BUT SHARED IT LAY AT THE HEART

TRANSCRIPT OF BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY'S MEDIA SESSION

FOLLOWING

IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEDIA SESSION GIVEN BY THE SECRETARY, THE RT HON DOUGLAS HURD, THIS (FRIDAY)

HIS MEETING WITH LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS FOLLOWING

BRITISH FOREIGN MORNING KONG:

IN

HONG

MEETING WITH

MR DOUGLAS HURD: CAN I JUST SAY A QUICK WORD ABOUT THE LEGCO, I'VE GOT A FULL PRESS CONFERENCE THIS AFTERNOON BUT IT MIGHT BE USEFUL JUST TO HAVE A VERY QUICK WORD.

THE

I

QUESTIONS. MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, THEY GROUPED THEIR THINK MOST OF THE ISSUES ARE FAMILIAR TO YOU. THERE WERE QUESTIONS ABOUT

I SAID THAT HUMAN RIGHTS, ABOUT THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION. NOBODY CAN BE AMBIVALENT ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS. THE QUESTION IS HOW THEY ARE BEST ENTRENCHED AND FORTIFIED AND WE HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT.

-

NATIONALITY ISSUES AGAIN IT'S A FAIRLY FAMILIAR SUBJECT AND I UNDERSTAND ITS SENSITIVITY HERE. I BELIEVE THAT THE MEASURES TAKEN BY THEY'VE PARLIAMENT IN 1990 REMAIN THE BEST AVAILABLE FOR THE PURPOSE. BEEN FAIRLY WIDELY WELCOMED HERE, THOUGH OF COURSE PEOPLE WOULD LIKE KNOW THE THEN YOU TO GO FURTHER. AS REGARDS THE WAR WIDOWS, POSITION THAT EACH OF THESE LADIES HAS RECEIVED A LETTER FROM THE HOME SECRETARY AND THAT I THINK DEALS WITH THOSE PARTICULAR CASES.

THERE WAS A GOOD DEAL OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THE WORK OF THE JOINT LIAISON

HONG GROUP. ABOUT CONTACTS BETWEEN CIVIL SERVANTS HERE IN KONG AND THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES AND I EMPHASISED OUR DESIRE TO OF UNBLOCK THE WORK OF THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP. TO TAKE POLITICS OUT

30 SOME OF THESE VERY PRACTICAL, EVEN TECHNICAL AND LEGAL DISCUSSIONS THAT THE WORK OF THE JLG CAN PROCEED, SO THAT WHEN THE TIME FOR THE IN TRANSFER OF SOVEREIGNTY COMES THERE WILL BE NO WEAKNESSES, NO GAPS THE LEGAL

WITH WHICH HONG KONG WILL MOVE INTO FRAMEWORK STATUS.

ITS

NEW

THOSE WERE THE MAIN ISSUES. QUICK QUESTIONS?

THERE WERE ONE OR TWO OTHERS,

ANY

/QUESTION: