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THAT LU PING HAD BEEN IRRITATED BY REPORTS THAT A MACAU CIVIL
AVIATION AUTHORITY SOURCE HAD SAID THE USA TREATED MACAU LIKE A BIG COUNTRY. IT ALL SEEMED LIKE A STORM IN A TEACUP, BUT THE MACAU GOVERNMENT IS DISTINCTLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE PROJECT. IT
REACTS NERVOUSLY TO LU PING'S QUOTED COMMENTS.
5. INTO THIS SCENE ARRIVES THE NEW MACAU AIRPORT CHAIRMAN PROFESSOR PINTO, THIS WEEK. PINTO IS A MINING ENGINEER BY TRAINING AND WAS CHOSEN BY THE GOVERNOR. HE HAS NO KNOWN AIRPORT EXPERIENCE BUT PREVIOUSLY WORKED FOR A CONSTRUCTION COMPANY. HE
IS NOT/NOT AN OLD FRIEND OF LOPEZ.
6. THE CAA DEFENDED THEIR TALKS WITH THE USA AS BEING PRELIMINARY AND ONLY WITH AIRLINES. SILVA CONFIRMED UNITED AIRLINES, FEDERAL EXPRESS AND UPC WERE THOSE MOST INTERESTED. HE SAID TALKS WITH FEDERAL EXPRESS HAD NOT YET REACHED THE STAGE OF A FIRM PROPOSAL ON EQUITY PARTICIPATION IN THE AIRPORT. SEPARATELY, TALKS WITH LUFTHANSA WERE AT ABOUT THE SAME STAGE. THINGS COULD NOT GO
FURTHER UNTIL PINTO WAS SETTLED IN. FURTHER TALKS WITH THE USA ARE SCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER. THIS WOULD BE AFTER THE NEXT JLG (PEKING, SEPTEMBER) WHEN THE PORTUGUESE WILL SEEK A FORMAL
RESPONSE TO THE DRAFT PAPER ON MACAU AVIATION THAT THEY PUT FORWARD EARLIER THIS YEAR. IT IS NOW ALSO UNLIKELY THAT PROPOSED
TALKS WITH JAPAN AND GERMANY WILL HAPPEN BEFORE THE NEXT JLG.
7. SILVA SAID PINTO WOULD NEED TIME TO STUDY THE AIRPORT PROJECT.
THE MACAU GOVERNMENT'S FINANCIAL REPORT ON THE AIRPORT SHOULD BE READY BEFORE TOO LONG AND, AFTER SUMMER HOLIDAYS, DECISIONS WOULD NEED TO BE MADE. HE BELIEVED THE RUNWAY AND PILING CONTRACTS
COULD BE SIGNED BY THE END OF THE YEAR. GRAHAM SUGGESTED THAT IF MACAU GUARANTEED THE AIRPORT PROJECT THE ADDITIONAL HK DOLLARS 5
BILLION COULD BE EASILY RAISED. SILVA REPLIED THAT PERHAPS THE
BANK OF CHINA WOULD GUARANTEE IT. HE CONFIRMED THAT THEY STILL
ESTIMATED COMPLETION WOULD BE 40 MONTHS FROM THE BEGINNING OF WORK ON THE RUNWAY CI.E. MID 1995 IF CONTRACTS WERE SIGNED
DECEMBER 1991).
8. KE INTIMATED THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAD GONE TO GREAT LENGTHS TO OVERCOME THE NOISE POLLUTION PROBLEM, AND THAT CHINA GAVE PRACTICAL AS WELL AS MORAL SUPPORT. IT WAS NOW UP TO MACAU TO SORT OUR THIS PROJECT. HE DID NOT ANSWER DIRECTLY A QUERY ON WHETHER THE BANK OF CHINA MIGHT GUARANTEE THE AIRPORT, OR WHETHER MAINLAND INTERESTS MIGHT INCREASE THEIR STAKE. KE SAID THE NCNA WOULD STUDY THE MACAU GOVERNMENT'S FINANCIAL REPORT, WHEN IT CAME
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