XN000022-1995-03-15 — Page 2

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CFA legislation implements Sino-British agreement

The Court of Final Appeal (CFA) is an element and part of the architecture of the rule of law which everybody wants to see in place, the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, said today (Wednesday).

In reply to questions by reporters after visiting Central and Western Districts this afternoon, the Governor said that one of the things that people were most concerned about in Hong Kong was the rule of law and the continuance of the rule of law after 1997.

"It's the thing which perhaps more than anything else affects people's daily life," he added.

"It's about whether we can continue to be a decent, civilised, successful society, living in dignity and freedom and openness.

"So I hope that we can get on with it and I hope that it doesn't become an issue about which there are arguments and rows."

The Governor pointed out that there was an agreement between China and Britain to set up a Court of Final Appeal and that a drafted legislation, which faithfully implemented that agreement, was given to the Chinese side last May.

As a result of the consultations with the legal profession in Hong Kong, he said some technical adjustments were passed to the Chinese side in January.

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"Indeed I suspect that before too long, the community is going to start to press us to get on with things," he said.

"But we wish to go forward and I assume that we will go forward in co- operation because nobody has yet pointed out in any way how our legislation fails to implement the 1991 agreement."

End/Wednesday, March 15, 1995