TNAG-1304-FCO40-1660-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1984 — Page 23

QUESTION 14: MICHAEL NOBLE, AFP:

**IN THE CASE OF RHODESIA THE PEARCE COMMISSION REJECTED, OR FOUND THAT LOCAL PEOPLE REJECTED, THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S DEAL. THE

THEN BRITISH GOVERNMENT ABANDONED THE DEAL. CAN HONG KONG PEOPLE BE SURE THAT, IF THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE FINDS THAT HONG KONG PEOPLE

REJECT THE DEAL, THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WILL REJECT THE DEAL

AS IT DID IN RHODESIA?''

ANSWER:

''OBVIOUSLY, THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE, WHICH WILL BE CONSIDERING THE WHOLE RANGE OF HONG KONG OPINIONS FROM HONG KONG PEOPLE, FROM THE HONG KONG MEDIA, AND ASSESSING THEM TOGETHER, WILL BE A MATTER OF GREAT IMPORTANCE TO THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT. BUT I CAN

ASSURE YOU ONCE AGAIN THAT THE OBJECTIVE TO WHICH WE ARE WORKING,

THE REASON WHY WE HAVE BEEN CONDUCTING THESE NEGOTIATIONS SO

TENACIOUSLY AND WITH SUCH CLEAR OBJECTIVES, IS TO SECURE AN AGREEMENT

COVERING ALL THE KEY POINTS I HAVE DESCRIBED WHICH WE CAN HONOURABLY

COMMEND TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AND THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT.''

QUESTION 15 (IN CHINESE): VIVIAN MAK, COMMERCIAL RADIO:

''I'M FROM COMMERCIAL RADIO. I HAVE A QUESTION ON THE JOINT WORKING GROUP. FIRST OF ALL, HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL SIT ON THE WORKING GROUP

AND WILL HONG KONG OFFICIALS BE REPRESENTED? SECONDLY, ON

WHAT BASIS HAVE YOU DECIDED THAT THE GROUP WILL CONTINUE TO WORK

UNTIL THE YEAR 2000 AND WHY IS IT THAT AFTER FOUR YEARS THE

WORKING GROUP WILL BE BASED IN HONG KONG?!!

ANSWER:

''THAT'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS IN A SHORT TIME. YES, WE HAVE CONSIDERED

THE SIZE OF THE GROUP. IT WOULD HAVE FIVE MEMBERS ON EACH SIDE, TO BE APPOINTED BY EACH SIDE, AND IN DOING THAT I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT

HONG KONG INTERESTS WILL BE FULLY REPRESENTED. THERE'S ALSO

AGREEMENT ON A LIMITED NUMBER OF SUPPORTING STAFF .. SECRETARIES

AND INTERPRETERS AND DRIVERS AND SO ON. AS TO THE QUESTION ABOUT

THE DATES THAT I'VE DESCRIBED, THOSE DATES CLEARLY EMERGE FROM THE PROCESS OF NEGOTIATIONS IN WHICH WE'VE BEEN TAKING PART, AND THEY DO, I BELIEVE, REPRESENT A SENSIBLE SET OF COMPROMISES BETWEEN THE

DIFFERENT OBJECTIVES.''

QUESTION 16. SUNG SHUK WAI, SING TAO JIHPAO:

SINCE THE AGREEMENT IS LEGALLY BINDING, IF ANY OF THE PARTIES

VIOLATES THE AGREEMENT, WHAT WILL THE OTHER PARTY DO?

ANSWER: THE POSITION WILL BE EXACTLY THE SAME AS IN ANY OTHER INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT, THAT EACH SIDE TO A BINDING INTERNATIONAL

AGREEMENT WILL OBVIOUSLY MAKE THE STRONGEST REPRESENTATIONS TO THE

OTHER BY WAY OF COMPLAINT IN ORDER TO GET IT REMEDIED, AND THE

IMPORTANCE OF AN INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT IS THE FOUNDATION UPON

WHICH IT IS BUILT, UPON THE FOUNDATION OF NEGOTIATIONS CONDUCTED

OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME IN GOOD FAITH IN ORDER TO TRY AND

REACH A BALANCE OF THE INTERESTS OF THE NATIONS INVOLVED, BECAUSE

IF IT IS AN AGREEMENT THAT MEETS THE BALANCE OF THOSE INTERESTS,

७

THEN