XN000022-1995-03-23 — Page 4

3.

Question: Sir. Mr Lu has said in America that any talks he might have with you should be fruitful before he enters into them. What's your reaction to that?

Governor: 1 think my reaction is the same as the community's reaction. I think most people believe that the reason for having talks is to try to reach agreement, and to try to reach fruitful outcomes. If that wasn't the situation, talks would be merely for show rather than to try to achieve results. I think there is an overwhelming view in Hong Kong that it would be valuable and important for us to meet and talk and discuss the future of the community. I've made it absolutely clear that whenever Director Lu would like to come to Hong Kong, he would be an extremely welcomed visitor here. And that I would clear anything in my diary, and so would my senior officials, in order to have discussions with him. If you only had discussions when you were guaranteed an outcome, then I think a lot of people would wonder whether you ever have discussions at all. But I hope that we can have meetings and discussions and that they will help to increase greater understanding, greater awareness of the shared interest we have on the shared problems that we have to solve together. Perhaps I can just add one other thing. Director Lu is undertaking what I am sure will be an important visit around the United States. I think that everyone in Hong Kong, certainly myself and the Hong Kong Government, wish him well in his trip and hope that it provides a great deal of reassurance about the future. Both the Chief Secretary and I have been to the United States ourselves in the past to talk about Hong Kong. I hope that our trips have provided a good deal of reassurance. There has been occasionally a bit of background music when we've been on our visits. I can assure you the only background music for Director Lu's visit is the hope from me and from my senior officials and from the whole community that he and his colleagues do provide some reassurance about the situation after 1997.

Question: You say talks are not meant for show and the JLG expert are going to resume talks on the Court of Final Appeal tomorrow, do you expect your differences will be resolved this time?

Governor: I am not sure what the differences are. In fact, I think like many of my senior colleagues, I scratch my head sometimes to wonder what there is still to have an argument about, not only on the Court of Final Appeal, but on other things as well. We reached an agreement with Chinese officials in 1991. We've tried to implement that agreement in good faith, translating it into legislative form. and we put that legislation to Chinese officials last May. Now it is true that we've proposed some technical amendments, but we gave those to Chinese officials in January. And I don't think that they should delay things very much. We've had three sets of questions from Chinese officials, all of which we have answered promptly and comprehensively. So I do hope that the expert talks tomorrow will give us an early indication of the sort of progress that we can make because I think it would help to confirm views about future commitments to the rule of law, if we were able to co-operate in establishing the Court of Final Appeal which everyone knows is one of the important foundation stones for Hong Kong's prosperity and stability.