TNAG-1248-FCO40-1562-Press-reports-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 142

H.E.: ''YES'' IS THE SHORT ANSWER TO THAT, AND PERHAPS I MIGHT

ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT ON IT. I THINK THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL IS

REPRESENTATIVE BOTH BECAUSE OF ITS COMPOSITION AND THE PEOPLE

WHO ARE IN IT, AND BECAUSE IT TAKES WITH IT NOT ONLY ITS OWN VIEWS

BUT THE VIEWS OF A VERY WIDE RANGE OF PEOPLE IN HONG KONG. I THINK

YOU ALL KNOW THAT BEFORE WE LEFT LAST WEEK, THERE WAS A LONG

DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

AND MYSELF, AND ALL THE OTHER UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. AND BEFORE THAT MEETING TOOK PLACE, THE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS

OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND THE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL HAD ALLHAD WIDE CONTACTS IN HONG KONG AT ALL

LEVELS - DISTRICT BOARDS, URBAN COUNCIL, THEIR OWN PROFESSIONAL ORGANISATIONS AND SO ON, SO YOU ARE DEALING WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE

A WIDE KNOWLEDGE OF HONG KONG, WHO HAVE A WIDE RANGE OF CONTACTS IN

HONG KONG AND WHO ARE FULLY COMPETENT TO REPRESENT THOSE VIEWS TO

THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.

QUESTION: IF CHINA WERE TO TAKE BACK HER SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG

FOR ONE DAY ... (INAUDIBLE) HOW MANY MORE YEARS AT LEAST YOU WOULD

THINK THAT HONG KONG SHOULD BE UNDER THE BRITISH FLAG IN ORDER TO

MAINTAIN THE PROSPERITY AND STABILITY OF HONG KONG?

H.E.: I THINK YOU'RE SPECULATING WAY DOWN THE LINE, IF I MAY SAY SO.

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: THE STOCK MARKET HAS RESPONDED VERY POSITIVELY TO THE NEWS

OF THE TALKS RESTARTING: WOULD YOU SAY THAT THIS MOOD, SOME HAVE

DESCRIBED IT AS ''EUPHORIA'T IS WELL FOUNDED?

H.E.: I CERTAINLY WOULDN'T CALL IT ''EUPHORIA'': I THINK IT IS INDEED

AN ENCOURAGING DEVELOPMENT THAT YOU SAY THEY HAVE RESTARTED IT, THAT'S NOT WHAT THE ANNOUNCEMENT SAID, THE ANNOUNCEMENT SAID THAT

THE SECOND PHASE WOULD BEGIN.

QUESTION: YOU ARE GOING TO STAY IN PEKING A FEW MORE DAYS

BEFORE AND AFTER THE TALKS IN PEKING, OR WHAT?

H.E. NO, I'M GOING TO PEKING THIS TIME FOR THE TALKS AND THEN I

SHALL COME BACK DIRECTLY AFTER THE TALKS, BUT THAT IS OF COURSE

ONLY THE BEGINNING PHASE AND IT'S ONLY THE FIRST IN A NUMBER OF

VISITS WHICH I EXPECT TO MAKE.

QUESTION: BUT ARE YOU GOING TO STAY FOR A FEW MORE DAYS?

H.E.: THIS TIME NO. I WOULD'T MIND A HOLIDAY, I MUST ADMIT.

QUESTION: DO YOU THINK THAT THE BRITISH DELEGATION WILL REPRESENT THE

INTERESTS AND WILL OF THE HONG KONG PEOPLE IN THE TALKS, AND DO

YOU THINK THERE IS A CONFLICT BETWEEN THE WILL OF THE HONG KONG

PEOPLE AND THE WILL OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT?

3

/H.E.! NO.