TNAG-2392-FCO40-3478-Appointment-of-Chris-Patten-as-new-Governor-of-Hong-Kong--Ap-1992 — Page 30

24-APR-1992 16:59

JAMES LEE

P.09

TRANSCRIPT B

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MR.

CHRIS PATTEN

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PC LONDON

24 APRIL 1992

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QUESTION (RADIO/TELEVISION HONG KONG):

is a wholly unelected one.

The Hong Kong Government, of course, Given your background, will you be seeking to open up the workings of the Hong Kong Goveerment more and to appoint to the Executive Council some directly-elected Legislative Councillors?

MR. PATTEN:

Those are extremely good questions which I shall look forward to answering when I am more formidably armoured to do so.

QUESTION (RADIO HONG KONG):

Hurd attach the highest

You say that the Prime Minister and Mr. importance to an effective British Administration in Hong Kong yet

the Lord Wilson Administration has been described as a lame duck"

because of having to go back to the Chinese and clear everything

with them over the airport etc. How do you react to that

allegation and what can you do about it once you get to Hong Kong?

MR.

PATTEN:

I don't think it is a fair allegation and I don't think it is a

fair description of the very effective way in which the present

Governor has discharged very difficult responsibilities over the

last five years but obviously, I shall want to see the airport

project through to a successful conclusion. I think that the

Prime Minister demonstrated last September his own enthusiastic

attachment to a successful implementation of that project and I

very much hope I can't remember exacly what the time scale is

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