TNAG-1304-FCO40-1660-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1984 — Page 18

GR 5000

UNCLASSIFIED

DESKBY

FM HONG KONG 01130OZ AUG 64

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 2196 OF 1 AUGUST

НСК RECEIVED A

027/21

VRY

-2 AUG 184

142

INDEX

JANY/2

1607

HK-GOVT

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKT

REPS WASHINGTON, CG NEW YORK, BRUSSELS, UKMIS GENEVA

FUTURE OF HONG KONG: SECRETARY OF STATE'S PRESS CONFERENCE: QUESTION

AND ANSWER SESSION

QUESTION ONE: LOUIE KING BIN, TA KUNG PAO:

CHINA'S LEADERS DESCRIBE THE DISCUSSION AS DEMONSTRATING A SPIRIT

OF MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND MUTUAL ACCOMMODATION. WHATKIND OF

ACCOMMODATION DID THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT MAKE DURING THE SINO-

BRITISH TALKS? HOW DID IT HELP THE TWO GOVERNMENTS TO REACH WHAT

YOU CALL AN HISTORIC AGREEMENT?''

ANSWER:

**WELL, AS I HAVE SAID IN MY STATEMENT, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER

IN A SPIRIT OF MUTUAL ACCOMMODATION AND COOPERATION WITH OUT OWN

CLEAR OBJECTIVE AND IN A SPIRIT OF GIVE AND TAKE. THAT IS THE

PATTERN AND STYLE OF ANY NEGOTIATION AND IT IS ON THAT BASIS WE

HAVE REACHED THE POINTS WHICH I HAVE DESCRIBED TO YOU IN MY

STATEMENT TODAY.'

11

QUESTION 2: LINDA JAIVIN, ASIAWEEK:

''WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS, YOU SAY THAT THIS AGREEMENT AND ITS

ANNEXES WILL ALL BE LEGALLY BINDING. UNDER WHAT LAW WILL IT BE

LEGALLY BINDING? EXACTLY HOW WILL IT BE LEGALLY BINDING? AND IS IT

POSSIBLE, AS SOME RECENT REPORTS HAVE SUGGESTED HERE, THAT SOME OF THE POST-1997 ARRANGEMENTS, THE DETAILS OF THESE ARRANGEMENTS,

WILL BE ENSHRINED IN ONE OF THE ANNEXES WHICH MAY BE CONSIDERED

LESS BINDING THAN THE OTHER PARTS OF THE AGREEMENT?

ANSWER:

**NOW, I HAVE MADE VERY CLEAR IN MY STATEMENT THAT THE ANNEXES WHICH

WILL CONTAIN ALL THE PROVISIONS I HAVE BEEN DESCRIBING WILL BE

EQUALLY BINDING IN AN INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT. AND AN INTERNATIONAL

AGREEMENT IS, OF COURSE, THE HIGHEST FORM OF COMMITMENT POSSIBLE

BETWEEN SOVEREIGN STATES.''

QUESTION 3: DINAH LEE, WASHINGTON POST/INTERNATIONAL HERALD

TRIBUNE:

''MANY IN HONG KONG HAVE LOOKED FOR A CONTINUING BRITISH LINK TO

ADMINISTRATION AFTER 1997. NOTE THAT YOU MAKE IT VERY CLEAR IN

YOUR SPEECH THAT THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP WILL PLAY NO PART IN THE

ADMINISTRATION OF HONG KONG. HOWEVER, WOULD YOU SAY THAT THE WORK

OF THE GROUP BETWEEN 1997 AND THE YEAR 2000 COULD QUALIFY AS A

BRITISH LINK AND IS THERE ANY USEFUL PURPOSE FOR CONTINUING THE

GROUP'S WORK AFTER THE YEAR 2000?''

| ANSWER