TNAG-1478-FCO40-2010-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1986 — Page 33

'86 21:01 GIS HK

QUE ON: I WOULD LIKE TO STRESS THAT GATT MATTERS AND POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN HONG KONG BRE SEPARATE MATTERS. CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO US WHY YOU ARE SO CONFIDENT THAT THE REFORM AND THE BASIC LAW MUST BE ABLE TO CONVERGE. AND WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WHEN THE PUBLIC FEELINGS HERE OVERWHELMINGLY (UNCLEAR) FOR DIRECT ELECTIONS WHILE THE BASIC LAW RECOMMENDS NOT.

SIR GEOFFREY! THERE ARE A NUMBER OF ASSUMPTIONS THERE WHICH ONE CAN'T MAKE AT THIS STAGE OR PERHAPS AT ALL. YOU OFFER THE PROPOSITION THAT PUBLIC OPINION HERE OVERWHELMINGLY ASKS FOR THIS OR THAT.

QUESTION: THE QUESTION IS CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO US WHY ARE YOU SO CONFIDENT THAT THE TWO MUST BE ABLE TO CONVERGE.

SIR GEOFFREY: WHY I'M CONFIDENT THAT THE COVERGENCE IS IMPORTANT IS SURELY SELF EVIDENT. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THERE SHOULD BE THE CLOSEST POSSIBLE UNDERSTANDING OF VIEWS, THE CLOSEST POSSIBLE TAKING ACCOUNT OF VIEWS IN THE DRAFTING OF THE BASIC LAW AND IN THE OTHER POINTS OF CONTACT IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE SMOOTH TRANSFER OF GOVERNMENT THAT IS NECESSARY. I THINK THAT THE EXTENT TO WHICH THAT HAS PROVED POSSIBLE SO FAR GIVES ONE SOME ENCOURAGEMENT. I THINK THAT WE SHOULD ALL HAVE TO GO ON WORKING AT IT CONTINUOUSLY TO MAKE SURE THAT THE INITIAL STEPS IN IMPLEMENTING THE JOINT DECLARATION ARE FULFILLED RIGHT THE WAY THROUGH. I BELIEVE THAT IF WE GO ON WITH THE SAME KIND OF APPROACH THAT HAS BEEN MANIFESTED SO FAR THEN THERE ARE GOOD GROUNDS FOR BELIEVING THAT WE SHALL ACHIEVE THE SMOOTH TRANSFER OF GOVERNMENT THAT IS NECESSARY.

QUESTION: AT THE END OF NEXT YEAR, THERE WILL BE A REPORT ON THE REVIEW OF THE POLITICAL SYSTEM AND THE GREEN PAPER WILL BE ISSUED AT THE END OF NEXT YEAR. DOES IT MEAN THAT THAT WOULD ENSURE R SORT OF CONVERGENCE AND ALSO IF THE REPORT DOES NOT AGREE WITH DIRECT ELECTIONS HOW ARE WE GOING SOLVE THE PROBLEM IN HONG KONG, HOW ARE WE GOING TO ENSURE CONVERGENCE IN HONG KONG.

SIR GEOFFREY: I HAVE TO KEEP ON SAYING THE SAME THINGS IN RELATION TO QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS. FIRST HALF OF NEXT YEAR. AT THE END OF NEXT YEAR.

A GREEN PAPER WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THE THAT WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A WHITE PAPER THOSE ARE TWO STAGES IN THE COURSE OF WHICH ACCOUNT WILL BE TAKEN OF THE VIEWS BEING EXPRESSED WITHIN HONG KONG. WE CAN'T YET ANTICIPATE WHAT THE OUTCOME OF THOSE VIEWS IS GOING TO BE. ITS MANIFEST AT THE MOMENT THAT THERE'S A WIDE VARIETY OF OPINION AND THERE MAY OR MAY NOT BE A COMING TOGETHER OF OPINIONS IN ONE DIRECTION OR ANOTHER, THERE MAY REMAIN A WIDE VARIETY OF OPINIONS. ONE CAN'T ANTICIPATE WHAT THE OUTCOME WILL BE. WHAT IS EQUALLY CLEAR IS THAT IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THAT PROCESS, WITH ALL THE OTHER PROCESSES WHICH ARE TAKING PLACE, TO BE HANDLED IN A FASHION THAT WILL HELP US TO ACHIEVE A SMOOTH TRANSFER OF GOVERNMENT IN 1997. THAT'S WHAT WE ARE ABOUT. IN 1997, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ABOUT. THE HORD CONVERGENCE IS ONE WAY OF DESCRIBING THAT PROCESS. THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHER WAYS OF DESCRIBING IT. THE IMPORTANT THING TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT DIVERGENCE, INCREASING DIFFERENCES OF VIEW. WOULD NOT BE HELPFUL TO THE SMOOTH TRANSFER OF GOVERNMENT. THAT'S WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT, AS THE GOVERNOR HAS SAID, FOR HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT AND THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT AT ALL TIMES TO BE ALIVE TO THE CONCERNS AND THE VIEWS OF THE OTHER AS WELL AS TO THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. THAT COMES BACK TO THE SAME FRAMEWORK OF APPROACH.