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YOW, IF I COULD TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
BERNARD FONG. (SCMP): SIR, WHEN YOU ANNOUNCED
SIR, WHEN YOU ANNOUNCED THE AIRPORT PROJECT TWO YEARS AGO YOU SUGGESTED THAT HONG KONG SHOULD HAVE THE AUTONOMY TO MAKE MAJOR DECISIONS BUT I THINK THAT TO SOME OF US THE AGREEMENT REACHED IN BEIJING RECENTLY SEEMS TO BE A CAPITULATION OR RETRENCHMENT OF THAT AUTONOMY THAT YOU WERE SEEKING TWO YEARS AGO. COULD YOU EXPOUND ON THAT PLEASE?
THE GOVERNOR: WHAT'S IMPORTANT IN THIS IS IT ENABLES US TO GET AHEAD WITH THIS PROJECT AND PRECISELY DO THAT, TAKE THE SORT OF DECISIONS THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE AND TAKE THEM QUICKLY. THE WHOLE OF THE AIRPORT CORE PROJECT, THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME IS THERE, IT'S ACCEPTED THAT THAT WILL GO AHEAD, WE GET AHEAD WITH THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME. THERE ARE, I THINK, SENSIBLE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ADDITIONAL MATTERS, POINTS WHICH ARE NOT IN THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME, SAY, FOR INSTANCE A VERY OBVIOUS ONE, IF WE THOUGHT IT RIGHT TO START BUILDING A SECOND RUNWAY BEFORE 1997, ARRANGEMENTS OF THAT WOULD THEN BE AGREED, AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR DISCUSSION OF THINGS LIKE FRANCHISES THAT SPAN 1997, I THINK THOSE ARE SENSIBLE ARRANGEMENTS.
ADRIAN BROWN (TVAM): WHEN WAS AGREEMENT FINALLY REACHED AND
WHAT WAS YOUR INITIAL RESPONSE WHEN YOU LEARNED THAT?
THE GOVERNOR: THE AGREEMENT WAS FINALLY REACHED AND INITIALLED ON 30 JUNE. BEFORE THAT OF COURSE I HAD SEEN WHAT WAS COMING AS A DRAFT FORM AND I WAS EXTREMELY PLEASED WHEN I SAW WHAT WAS COMING OUT. I HAVE BEEN HOPING FOR AN AGREEMENT WHICH WOULD GIVE US THE ABILITY TO GO AHEAD WITH THIS PROJECT AND NOW WE'VE GOT IT.
ADRIAN BROWN (TVAM): ONE OTHER POINT. WAS CHINA'S AGREEMENT CONDITIONAL ON MR MAJOR SAYING HE WOULD GO TO PEKING TO MEET LI PENG? DID THAT HELP SMOOTH THINGS ALONG?
THE GOVERNOR: I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THAT HELPED TO SMOOTH IT ALONG, IT CAME OUT AS PART OF THE DISCUSSIONS THAT THERE WAS AN INVITATION FROM PRIME MINISTER LI PENG TO MR. JOHN MAJOR TO GO TO CHINA; WHAT SORT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECT THAT HAD ON DISCUSSIONS I DON'T KNOW.
ADRIAN BROWN (TVAM): BUT DID IT HELP DO YOU THINK?
THE GOVERNOR: I HOPE IT HELPED. I AM VERY PLEASED THAT MR MAJOR IS WILLING TO GO TO CHINA, NOT JUST TO SIGN THIS AGREEMENT; CLEARLY HE IS GOING TO TALK ABOUT MUCH WIDER THINGS THAN HONG KONG'S AIRPORT AND I THINK MUCH WIDER THINGS THAN JUST HONG KONG AND I AM PLEASED MYSELF THAT IT MEANS HE WILL BE COMING TO HONG KONG AS WELL.
REGGIE RATHOUR (RTHK): WHAT WERE THE MAJOR OBSTACLES IN REACHING THIS AGREEMENT? WHAT LED TO THIS DEADLOCK IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS?
THE GOVERNOR: I PREFER AS A GENERAL POINT TO LOOK FORWARD RATHER THAN BACKWARDS. WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME LOOKING AT THINGS THAT WERE PROBLEMS UP TO NOW AND I THINK MANY OF THEM ARE VERY WELL KNOWN. THE MAIN CONCERN THAT I HAVE HAD ALL ALONG, I THINK THAT WE'VE HAD
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