TNAG-1248-FCO40-1562-Press-reports-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 144

H.E.: WELL, WE HAVEN'T YET REACHED THAT POINT. I THINK ALL THAT HAS

HAPPENED SO FAR, THE ONLY STATEMENT THAT HAS BEEN MADE IS THE

OPENING OF THE NEW AND SECOND PHASE, SO WE HAVEN'T YET

REACHED THAT POINT AND I WOULDN'T WANT TO SPECULATE ON WHEN WE

WOULD.

****

QUESTION: HOW LONG WILL THE SECOND ROUND OF TALKS LAST AND AT THE

END OF THE TALKS WILL THERE BE ANY ANNOUNCEMENT MADE?

H.E.: I CAN'T PREDICT THAT AT THE PRESENT MOMENT, WE'RE ONLY

JUST STARTING THEM ON TUESDAY, SO I THINK IT WOULD BE FOOLISH OF

ME TO PREDICT HOW LONG THE NEXT PHASE WOULD LAST.

QUESTION: THE TALKS ARE ONLY FOR ONE DAY, RIGHT?

H.E.: NO, NO, IT ISN'T ONLY A ONE-DAY EVENT, THAT IS THE BEGINNING

OF THE NEW PHASE AND I WOULD EXPECT TO BE GOING FROM TIME TO TIME.

QUESTION: IS THE PROBLEM OF FINDING AN ACCEPTABLE SOLUTION AS

DIFFICULT AS IT EVER WAS SIR EDWARD, OR DO BOTH SIDES NOW HAVE A

MUCH BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF EACH OTHER'S POSITION?

H.E.: | THINK THAT DURING THE FIRST PHASE EACH SIDE HAS ACHIEVED

A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF EACH OTHER'S POSITION. I THINK THE LAST

FEW QUESTIONS, PLEASE.

QUESTION: DO YOU KNOW WHETHER MRS THATCHER MAY LATER THIS YEAR

VISIT BEJING AND WHEN, AND WHETHER RICHARD LUCE WILL BE JOINING

THE TALKS UP THERE?

H.E.: I'M NOT EXPECTING A VISIT BY THE PRIME MINISTER TO PEKING.

RICHARD LUCE SAID IN HIS MESSAGE TO US THAT HE WAS HOPING TO COME

EARLY AND WE'VE HAD A TALK WITH HIM ABOUT WHEN HE MIGHT COME,

AND I THINK HE'LL BE WITH US PROBABLY IN THE EARLY AUTUMN.

QUESTION: IT IS SAID THAT YOU ARE GOING TO MEET WITH STU JHA DUN(?)

BEFORE LEAVING FOR PEKING, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WILL

BE TALKING WITH HIM ABOUT AT THAT TIME?

H.E.: WELL, SINCE I'M LEAVING ON MONDAY THERE ISN'T VERY MUCH TIME.

WE MIGHT GET IN A COURTESY CALL, BUT I WOULDN'T EXPECT TO HAVE A

SUBSTANTIVE MEEING BEFORE I GO, BUT I WOULD OF COURSE BE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING HIM AT SOME LATER STAGE AFTER I GET BACK FROM PEKING . YOUDE

FUTURE OF HONG KONG

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