CONFIDENTIAL
14377, >
MDLI 0865
DEPENDENT UPON SUPPLIES FROM CHINA FOR ANOTHER 5 OR 6 MONTHS BUT UNLESS CHINESE ATTITUDES CHANGED BY THEN WORK MIGHT HAVE TO HALT. A PARTICULAR PROBLEM WAS A CONTRACT DUE TO BE SIGNED THIS WEEK WITH A PORTUGUESE/ITALIAN/DUTCH-BRITISH CONSORTIUM FOR THE PILING AND STRUCTURE OF THE RUNWAY ISLAND: THEY DO NOT KNOW WHETHER TO POSTPONE SIGNATURE, OR WHETHER TO GO AHEAD ON A CONDITIONAL BASIS.
4. VASCONCELOS SAID THAT OTHERWISE THE AIRPORT WAS STILL ON TARGET FOR A LATE 1993-EARLY 1994 OPENING, BUT FERREIRA AND THE BRITISH AIRPORTS SERVICE LTD (BASL) REPRESENTATIVE INDICATED THAT IT WAS ALREADY BEHIND THAT SCHEDULE.
5. VASCONCELOS SAID THEY WERE IN PRELIMINARY DISCUSSIONS WITH A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF AIRLINES FROM THE REGION, EUROPE, AND NORTH AMERICA ABOUT SERVICES TO MACAU.
6.
VASCONCELOS SAID THE PRC SHARE IN THE AIRPORT PROJECT HAD RECENTLY DROPPED FROM 30 PER CENT TO 9 PER CENT. THIS BECAUSE SHARE HOLDERS HAD BEEN ASKED TO CONTRIBUTE FURTHER FUNDS. THE CHINESE HAD BEEN UNABLE TO DO SO. SINCE OTHERS HAD INCREASED THEIR STAKE, THE CHINESE PERCENTAGE WAS NOW REDUCED. COTHER REPORTS SUGGEST THAT THE PRIVATE SHAREHOLDERS WHO HAVE TAKEN UP THE CHINESE SHARE HAVE A CONFIDENTIAL AGREEMENT THAT THIS WILL REVERT TO THE PRC ON REQUEST.)
7. VASCONCELOS AND FERREIRA CONFIRMED THAT THERE HAD BEEN NO COMMENT OR ADVERSE REACTION FROM THE CHINESE ABOUT THE AWARD OF MOST OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CONTRACTS ON THE AIRPORT SO FAR TO PORTUGUESE COMPANIES OR GROUPS WITH PROMINENT PORTUGUESE PARTNERS.
LAND
8. THE ACTING GOVERNOR SAID THAT THIS WAS THEIR SECOND SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM WITH CHINA. SOME YEARS AGO THEY HAD COMMITTED THEMSELVES TO RELEASING ONLY 20 HECTARES OF GOVERNMENT LAND PER YEAR. THEY NOW NEEDED MUCH MORE, PARTICULARLY FOR THE AIRPORT PROJECT. THE CHINESE WERE TRYING TO HOLD THEM TO THE 20 HECTARES LIMIT WHICH WAS UNREALISTIC.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ELECTIONS
9. NABO DESCRIBED HIS THIRD MAIN PROBLEM AS THE NEED TO HOLD ELECTIONS VERY SHORTLY TO REPLACE CERTAIN RETIRING MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL BUT THE CHINESE WERE OPPOSING THIS. (MACAU FOR SOME TIME
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