TNAG-1304-FCO40-1660-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1984 — Page 19

ANSWER:

**THE YEAR 2000 13 THE YEAR UP TO WHICH IT HAS BEEN AGREED THE

GROUP WILL CONTINUE INTO EXISTENCE. IT WILL HAVE THE SAME FUNCTIONS AFTER 1997 AS BEFORE 1997 UP TO THAT DATE. IT WILL ENABLE BOTH SIDES, INCLUDING GREAT BRITAIN AFTER 1997 UNTIL 2000, TO CONTINUE TO CONSULT ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AGREEMENT. I THINK IT IS AN IMPORTANT FEATURE THAT THE GROUP WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE THE SAME FUNCTION DURING THAT PERIOD AS IT HAS HAD BEFORE.'

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QUESTION FOUR, TSUI MING YEUN, WEN WEI PO:

**DURING YOUR RECENT VISIT TO PEKING, HAVE YOU DISCUSSED THE GREEN

PAPER ON MORE REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT FOR HONG KONG WITH

THE CHINESE LEADERS? IF YES, THEN WHAT ARE THE OPINIONS OR COMMENTS OF THE CHINESE LEADERS ON THIS USSUE? MOREOVER, THE GOVERNOR HAS POINTED OUT THAT THE SUGGESTIONS OF THE GREEN PAPER CONSIST OF TWO PRINCIPLES, OF WHICH ONE IS TO ENSURE THAT THE VARIOUS SYSTEMS CARRIED OUT WITHIN THESE 13 YEARS COULD NOT AFFECT THE CONTINUITY AFTER 1997. IN THIS CASE, HOW CAN YOU GUARANTEE THE ABOVE PRINCIPLE CAN BE FULFILLED IN ORDER TO SERVE CHINESE INTERESTS AFTER 1997?

ANSWER:

AS YOU KNOW, THE GREEN PAPER HAS BEEN PUBLISHED AND IS STILL BEING CONSIDERED WITHIN HONG KONG. IT OUTLINES THE CHANGES IN THE ARRANGEMENTS THAT ARE VISUALISED DURING THE YEARS IMMEDIATELY AHEAD. THERE HAS BEEN NO DISCUSSION OF THE GREEN PAPER IN PEKING, BUT I HAVE DRAWN ATTENTION IN MY STATEMENT TO THE FACT THAT IT IS VISUALISED THAT AFTER 1997 HONG KONG PEOPLE WILL STILL CONTINUE TO GOVERN HONG KONG.**

QUESTION 5: STEPHEN JESSEL, BBC, PEKING:

''DID YOU DISCUSS WITH CHINESE LEADERS THE POSSIBLE STATIONING OF THE PLA, THE PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY, IN THE TERRITORY AFTER 1997? WHAT WAS THEIR POSITION? DID THEY GIVE YOU ANY NUMBERS?

ANSWER:

''I KNOW THERE HAS BEEN SOME COMMENT ABOUT THAT. IT IS NOT RIGHT FOR ME, AT THIS STAGE, TO SAY ANYTHING MORE HERE.''

QUESTION 6: CHAN CHUNG-KWAN, ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS:

**COULD YOU RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY FOR BRITAIN AND CHINA TO MAKE SOME FORM OF ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE FUTURE ARRANGEMENT OF HONG KONG IN SOME INTERNATIONAL OCCASIONS - SAY THE UNITED NATIONS ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN THE COMING SEPTEMBER SO AS TO INCREASE THE INTERNATIONAL STATUS OF THAT LEGALLY BINDING AGREEMENT?''

ANSWER:

**NO. WE ARE WORKING TO CONCLUDE AN INTERNATIONALLY BINDING AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE TWO SOVEREIGN STATES WITHIN THE PROGRAMME THAT I HAVE SET OUT. AND THAT WILL, AS I SAY, BE A MOST IMPORTANT OBJECTIVE AND CONCLUSION.''

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I QUESTION 7