81A GEOFFREY: THE PRECISE OUTCOME OF THE SHAPING OF THE BASIC LIIS ONE OF THE MATTERS THAT IS STILL UNDER CONSIDERATION BY THE BASIC LAW DRAFTING COMMITTEE, THE BASIC LAW DRAFTING COMMITTEE IS SEEKING TO ACHIEVE CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THAT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS OF THE JOINT DECLARATION. PRECISELY TO ACHIEVE. FOR EXAMPLE, A HIGH DEGREE OF AUTONOMY AS SET OUT IN THE JOINT DECLARATION, PRECISELY TO ACHIEVE THE POSITION PRESCRIBED FOR THE COURTS OF THE HONG KONG S.H.R. IN THAT JOINT DECLARATION. I THINK THAT IN LIGHT OF THE WAY IN WHICH WORK HAS PROCEEDED SO FAR BETWEEN THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT AND THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT ONE SHOULD HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT THE OBJECTIVES OF THE JOINT DECLARATION WILL BE FULFILLED. PEOPLE DO ATTACH VERY GREAT IMPORTANCE TO THAT.
QUESTION: ARE YOU NOT ALARMED AT THE WAY THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT SEEMS TO BE GRABBING BACK ALL THESE THINGS THAT WE THOUGHT THEY HAD PROMISED US IN THE JOINT DECLARATION.
SIR GEOFFREY: I DON'T THINK THAT THAT SENSE OF ALARM IS AS WIDELY SHARED, BY ANY MEANS, AS YOUR QUESTION IMPLIES. I THINK THAT IF ONE LOOKS AT THE SPECIFIC AREAS TO WHICH I'VE REFERRED FOR EXAMPLE -- THE AREAS IN WHICH AGREEMENTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN REACHED. WHETHER ON THE POSITION UNDER THE GATT, OR IN RELATION TO AIR SERVICE AGREEMENTS AND THE OTHER TOPICS WHICH HAVE BEEN UNDER DISCUSSION IN THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP -- I THINK THAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE SOME ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE WAY IN WHICH THE WORK IS GOING AHEAD. OF COURSE I UNDERSTAND ANXIETY, ONE UNDERSTANDS CONCERN, BECAUSE WHAT IS TAKING PLACE IN FULFILMENT OF THE JOINT DECLARATION IS SOMETHING WITHOUT PRECEDENT IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS. BUT THE FACT THAT THE TWO GOVERNMENTS CONCERNED HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REACH AN AGREEMENT AS FAR REACHING AND AS FUNDAMENTAL AND AS COMPREHENSIVE AS THE JOINT DECLARATION, THE FACT THAT DURING THE TIME THAT HAS PASSED SINCE IT WAS SIGNED IN DECEMBER 1984 SO MUCH PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN IMPLEMENTING IT, IS SOMETHING FROM WHICH I THINK PEOPLE SHOULD TAKE ENCOURAGEMENT RATHER THAN ALARM. IT'S RIGHT TO REMAIN WATCHFUL AND CONCERNED, OF COURSE, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT NOT TO ALLOW THAT TO GET OUT OF PERSPECTIVE.
QUESTION: IF WE DO TAKE ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE AND IF WE DO HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE JOINT DECLARATION, IN AN IDEAL SITUATION HOW MUCH IN THE WAY OF OPERATING DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THERE BE IN HONG KONG. SAY IN 1994, 1995.
SIR GEOFFREY: WELL. IT'S NOT FOR ME TO SPECULATE ABOUT THE OUTCOME OF THE REVIEW WHICH IS ADDRESSING ITSELF IN PART TO THAT QUESTION IN 1987, NOR IS IT FOR ME TO AMPLIFY OR SPECULATE ABOUT THE CONTENTS OF THE JOINT DECLARATION. THAT MAKES PROVISION FOR ELECTION AS PRESCRIBED IN THE JOINT DECLARATION AND IT MAKES PROVISION FOR A HIGH DEGREE OF AUTONOMY ON THE PART OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND I THINK THOSE ARE THE OBJECTIVES ON WHICH AGREEMENT WAS REACHED AND I WOULD WISH TO SEE FULFILMENT OF THOSE OBJECTIVES.
QUESTION: CAN YOU BE ANY MORE SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT KIND OF OPERATING DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS APART FROM ELECTIONS.
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SIR GEOFFREY: NO. IT WOULD BE QUITE WRONG FOR ME TO ANTICIPATE OR AMPLIFY OR FILL OUT THE MEANING OF THOSE WORDS ON WHICH THERE WAS AGREEMENT AND WITHIN WHICH DEVELOPMENTS WILL BE TAKING PLACE BETWEEN NOW AND 1997. HERE WE ARE, 1997 IS AS DEFINED IN THE JOINT DECLARATION, AN IMPORTANT EVENT BETWEEN NOW AND THEN WILL BE THE OUTCOME OF THE 1987 REVIEW AND WE MUST AWAIT THE OUTCOME OF THAT.
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