CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
FM PEKING
TO PRIORITY F C O
TELNO 1061
OF 050903Z JULY 91
HKB 182/6
C&JUL
Q DIST ?/
TOP COPY
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG, EC POSTS INFO PRIORITY UKREP BRUSSELS
(6)
041761
MDLIAN 4145
HONG KONG PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR.
HONG KONG AIRPORT: BRIEFINGS FOR EC AND OTHERS.
SUMMARY.
BRIEFINGS FOR EC, OLD COMMONWEALTH, US AND JAPAN ON 4 AND 5 JULY.
1.
DETAIL.
2. AT THE REQUEST OF THE NETHERLANDS PRESIDENCY I BRIEFED COMMUNITY COLLEAGUES IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE COORDINATED ANNOUNCEMENTS WERE MADE ON 4 JULY, HANDING OVER COPIES OF THE AGREED PRESS STATEMENT AND MOU.
3. I SET THE SCENE BY DESCRIBING THE HISTORY OF THE AIRPORT PROJECT GOING BACK TO 1972: ITS REVIVAL IN 1986 AND THE GOVERNOR'S ANNOUNCEMENT IN 1989: THE NEED FOR CHINESE SUPPORT: AND THE VARIOUS ROUNDS OF DISCUSSIONS SINCE OCTOBER 1990, CULMINATING IN SIR P. CRADOCK'S TALKS.
#4. I SAID THAT THE DISCUSSIONS HAD BEEN PROTRACTED BECAUSE OF
THE DIFFICULTY OF SOME OF THE ISSUES INVOLVED. IT HAD BEEN NECESSARY TO RECONCILE THE CHINESE WISH TO BE SATISFIED THAT THE AIRPORT COULD BE BUILT WITHOUT DETRIMENT TO THE FINANCES OF THE FUTURE SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION, AND TO BE CONSULTED ABOUT MAJOR MATTERS WITH POST-1997 IMPLICATIONS, WITH OUR REQUIREMENT TO PRESERVE THE AUTHORITY OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND TO PROVIDE THE CERTAINTY WHICH HONG KONG NEEDED TO GO AHEAD WITH SUCH A BIG PROJECT. WE HAD ACHIEVED A SATISFACTORY BALANCE.
5.
I THEN RAN THROUGH THE MOU EXPLAINING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE VARIOUS PROVISIONS.
PAGE 1 CONFIDENTIAL
2.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.