XN000022-1995-10-19 — Page 8

- 7 -

Question: Mr Patten, you're going to Britain. Some PWC members and even ExCo members the British Government to take the lead to grant visa free arrangements to our passports....

+

Governor: Perhaps I could say something, briefly, about my visit to Britain, to save you having to come out to the airport this evening. We always have your welfare in mind.

I'm going, this evening, to the United Kingdom for meetings, principally, with the Prime Minister and other senior ministers. I'm also speaking at a conference on business opportunities in Hong Kong, and I'm speaking at the Annual Dinner of the TDC, and I'll be making three other public lectures on Hong Kong and Asia. Obviously, during my talks I'll be wanting to review a number of issues following Mr Qian Qichen's visit to London, including the unwelcome development this week in relation to the threat to dismantle Hong Kong's protection against lawlessness, the threat to the rule of law here in Hong Kong. I'll also be raising a number of nationality issues and related matters, including visa free access to the United Kingdom for SAR passport holders. And the Hong Kong Government's position on that is extremely well known and we will be articulating it as eloquently as possible.

Question: Are you going to map out some further strategy on co-operation with the future SAR Government?

Governor: Not a future strategy. We've already discussed with London our proposals for co-operation with the team designate, and before that with the Preparatory Committee, and I won't have any new proposals to add to the ones which we've already discussed with London.

Question: Do you intend to ask the Prime Minister to tell or ask or whatever the word, the British Ambassador in Peking to say to the Chinese Government at the highest level, that these remarks .... Do you expect.... from the highest level of the British Government?

Governor: I think that just as there have been expressions from the highest levels of the British Government over the threat to dismantle a fairly elected Legislative Council, so there will be expressions of concem at the highest levels in the British Government about the threat to the Bill of Rights and the rule of law in Hong Kong. But those are matters that I'll want to discuss with the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary over the next few days. But I'm sure that they will be as concerned about those matters as the people of Hong Kong are.