PRESS CONFERENCE
20 SEP. 90
LORD CAITHNESS: AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF RESEARCH HAS BEEN DONE ON AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT. I WAS FORTUNATE TO HAVE A VERY DETAILED t..IEFING AND TO HAVE EXPLAINED SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WOULD BE AN IMMEDIATE CONCERN TO ME, COMING IN NEW AS I WAS, ABOUT THE LOCATION OF THE AIRPORT, THE TRANSIT SYSTEM. AND THOSE WHO WERE ABLE, SATISFACTORILY EXPLAINED AS TO EXACTLY WHY IT HAPPENED. NOW IT IS QUITE NATURAL FOR CHINA WITH ITS ONGOING SITUATION AFTER 1997, THAT HAS AN INTEREST IN THIS PROJECT, TO HAVE THOSE SORT OF CONCERNS WHICH ANY LEGITIMATE PERSON WOULD HAVE, ANSWERED. NOW THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAVE SENT A MESSAGE ΤΟ PEKING ΤΟ ASK THE CHINESE REPRESENTATIVES ΤΟ COME HERE TO SEE ON THE GROUND, TO HAVE ANY OF THEIR QUERIES ANSWERED; SO THAT THEY CAN DISCUSS IT WITH THE CONSULTANTS AND ALL THOSE INVOLVED. AND AT THAT STAGE, I AM SURE THAT THE PROJECT WILL PROCEED, BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO ME то BE A SOUND PROJECT, BUT THOSE ARE DISCUSSIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE FUTURE. WHAT IS CLEAR IS THAT THE CHINESE RECOGNISE THAT HONG KONG NEEDS A NEW AIRPORT, BUT THOSE DISCUSSIONS, AS I MENTIONED IN ANSWER TO AN EARLIER QUESTION, ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT CAN BE DEALT WITH BY THE ON- GOING RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA.
FANNY WONG: WHAT ROLE CAN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT PLAY IN THIS CURRENT DEADLOCK? APPARENTLY THERE'S NO MOVEMENT AT ALL SINCE THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAS SUBMITTED THE INFORMATION ΤΟ THE CHINESE SIDE. SO DO YOU THINK, IN ANY WAY, YOU CAN HELP IN THIS PROCESS?
LORD CAITHNESS: WELL, FORMALLY AND INFORMALLY, IT UNDOUBTEDLY WILL COME UP, AND I
IN OUR DISCUSSIONS WITH CHINA, BOTH WILL BE ONE OF THE MATTERS THAT HOPE THAT THAT WILL HELP IN ITS WAY,
FANNY WONG: WHAT CONCRETE STEPS CAN YOU TAKE TO HELP TO, SAY, RESOLVE THE CURRENT DEADLOCK?
LORD CAITHNESS: SORRY
WHAT ?
FANNY WONG: WHAT CONCRETE STEPS CAN YOU TAKE TO HELP TO RESOLVE THE CURRENT SITUATION?
-~
LORD CAITHNESS: BECAUSE I THINK WHAT ONE HAS GOT TO EXPLAIN ΤΟ THE CHINESE - EXACTLY WHAT THE DESIGN OF THE
WHY THE AIRPORT IS DESIGNED, LAID OUT AS IT IS. THAT IS BEST DONE BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND THE CONSULTANTS. BUT WHAT WE WILL BE URGING AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL AND IF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT SEEKS SUPPORT WE WILL GIVE IT TO THEM TO RAISE IT WITH THE CHINESE, EXPLAIN TO THEM THE URGENCY, BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT FOR HONG KONG TO GET ON WITH THIS.
FOO CHOY PENG, THE STRAITS TIMES: LORD CAITHNESS, I BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT IF THE RESULTS OF NEXT YEAR'S LEGCO ELECTIONS ARE SUCCESSFUL OR RESPONSIBLE, YOU COULD BARGAIN FOR MORE DIRECT SEATS TO LEGCO IN 19957 COULD YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY A RESPONSIBLE SUCCESSFUL RESULT IN THESE ELECTIONS?
OR
1991 BRITISH
LORD CAITHNESS: ONE CANNOT JUDGE THE RESULTS OF THE ELECTIONS AS SUCCESSFUL OR NOT SUCCESSFUL ON, FOR INSTANCE, A BASIS.
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