TNAG-2625-FCO40-3816-Visit-by-Douglas-Hurd--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-and-Co-1992 — Page 141

1992-07-27 22:46 G.I.S

ZCZC

ADU IS 27

P.05/10

MONDAY, JULY 27, 1992

MR FOREIGN SECRETARY, ONE OF LAU CHI-WAN (HK ECONOMIC TIMES): FOCAL POINTS OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN HONG KONG IS THE EXCO. WILL MARTIN LEE BE APPOINTED AS AN EXCO MEMBER?

THE

ABOUT

IT'S

IT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME, AND NOR, FOREIGN SECRETARY: INCIDENTALLY, 1S IT A MATTER FOR THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, A MATTER FOR THE GOVERNOR.

THE GOVERNOR:

AND IF YOU'D LIKE ME TO GIVE

·

THE

ANSWER, WHICH I HAVE GIVEN SO OFTEN THAT YOU'RE ONLY TOO FAMILIAR WITH THE ANSWER IS - AND YOU MAY HAVE IT, I'LL BE DELIGHTED TO DO 30.

AT THE MOMENT I AM BEEN AWAY WHEN I'VE GIVEN IT BEFORE – THAT DISCUSSING WITH THE LEADERS OF THE COMMUNITY THE ROLE AND FUNCTIONS OF I HAVE COMPLETED THE GOVERNING INSTITUTIONS OF HONG KONG AND WHEN THOSE DISCUSSIONS, THAT IS THE TIME TO CONSIDER THE QUESTION COMPOSITION OF THOSE BODIES AND I WILL BE HAPPY TO DO SO MOMENT.

OF THE AT THAT

FOREIGN SECRETARY, WHEN YOU LEFT STEVE VINES (THE GUARDIAN):

THAT THERE BEIJING WITH THE PRIME MINISTER LAST YEAR, DID YOU THINK WOULD BE THE KIND OF STALEMATE ON NEGOTIATIONS ABOUT THE AIRPORT WHICH YOU HAD HAS ARISEN SINCE? IN OTHER WORDS, DID YOU THINK THAT ONCE SIGNED THAT AGREEMENT THAT BASICALLY THERE WAS ONLY THE FINE-TUNING TO HAS AND THE WHOLE THING WOULD GO AHEAD, OR DID YOU THINK THAT, AS HAPPENED, THERE DOESN'T REALLY SEEM TO BE MUCH PROGRESS SINCE THEN?

FOREIGN SECRETARY:

LOT OH, I THINK THERE'S BEEN A

CHINESE OF PROGRESS. WE NOW KNOW WHAT WAS NOT CLEAR BEFORE, THAT THE

IN HONG KONG. VIEW IS THAT THE AIRPORT SHOULD BE BUILT AND BUILT YOU'LL REMEMBER THAT THERE WAS A GOOD DEAL OF QUESTIONING ON THAT VERY POINT, 1 THINK LAST TIME I HAD A PRESS CONFERENCE HERE. PROGRESS. I DIDN'T FORESEE THIS PARTICULAR IT WAS PERFECTLY LIKELY THAT THERE WOULD BE TIME TO TIME AND THAT IS WHY MACHINERY WAS SET UP TO

LET'S TRY AND GET THAT MACHINERY TO DO ITS JOB.

BEEN

UP. FROM THEM.

FANNY WONG, (SCMP):

SO THERE'S DIFFICULTY COMING SPECIFIC PROBLEMS DEAL WITH

JUST

FOREIGN SECRETARY, WELL NOW YOU STRESSED ABOUT THE NEED FOR CONTINUITY, AND DO YOU THINK THERE IS A NEED FOR THE THROUGH-TRAIN ARRANGEMENT FOR EXCO MEMBERS?

THEN WAS TALKING WELL, I WAS FOREIGN SECRETARY:

MENTIONED THE PHRASE LEGCO ABOUT THE

I THINK WHEN I MENTIONED ELECTIONS.

THE 1995 'THROUGH-TRAIN' I

ABOUT THE CONTINUITY OF WAS TALKING

ΤΟ ELECTIONS THROUGH 1997. I DON'T THINK I WANT TO ADD GOVERNOR HAS SAID ABOUT EXCO.

WHAT THE

FANNY WONG, (SCMP):

BUT EXCO IS ALSO

PART OF

THE GOVERNMENT SYSTEM, AND A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THE GOVERNMENT SYSTEM

FOREIGN SECRETARY:

FANNY WONG, (SCMP):

19

A NEED FOR DISCUSSIONS WITH CHINA ON A FOR EXCO MEMBERS WHO CAN STRADDLE 1997?

FOREIGN SECRETARY:

YES.

-- DO YOU THINK THAT THERE THROUGH-TRAIN ARRANGEMENT

WELL THAT'S FOR THE GOVERNOR

PRC

TO DECIDE, BUT THE APPOINTMENTS TO EXCO ARE NOT A MATTER FOR THE THEY ARE A MATTER FOR THE GOVERNOR.