TNAG-2770-FCO40-3987-Coverage-of-Sino-British-talks-in-the-Hong-Kong-press-1993 — Page 20

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114077

MDLIAN 7992

NOTED GENERAL FOLEY REVEALED THE PRINCE OF WALES BUILDING WAS ONE

OF THE MILITARY FACILITIES WHICH WOULD GO TO THE PLA IN DUE COURSE. HE DID NOT, HOWEVER, GIVE FURTHER DETAILS AND SAID THE WESTERN PART OF THE BUILDING WAS STILL BEING DISCUSSED BY THE JLG. A FEW PAPERS QUOTED FCO SPOKESMAN IN HK CHRIS OSBORNE AS SAYING THE BRITISH SIDE STILL INSISTED ON REACHING AN OVERALL AGREEMENT WITH THE CHINESE SIDE OVER THE DISPOSAL OF MILITARY LANDS. HE DID NOT DENY THAT BOTH SIDES HAD REACHED SOME CONSENSUS ON THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR SOME MILITARY SITES DURING THE COURSE OF NEGOTIATIONS.

23. MING PAO UNDERSTOOD THAT THE CHINESE SIDE INSISTED ON TAKING BACK THE PRINCE OF WALES BUILDING, THE WESTERN PART OF HMS TAMAR AND THE GUN CLUB BARRACKS. SING TAO DAILY LEARNED THE BRITISH SIDE

IN PRINCIPLE HAD AGREED TO HAND OVER THE FIVE MILITARY SITES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES. BUT FOR THE 10 MILITARY SITES IN THE URBAN AREAS, THE BRITISH SIDE DID NOT THINK THEY SHOULD ALL BE TAKEN OVER BY THE PLA. WAH KIU UNDERSTOOD BOTH SIDES HAD REACHED AN UNDERSTANDING ON THE HANDING OVER OF THE PRINCE OF WALES BUILDING TO THE PLA ABOUT A YEAR AGO. BUT THE BRITISH INSISTED ON REACHING AN OVERALL AGREEMENT ON MILITARY SITES BEFORE THIS WOULD BE MADE PUBLIC. ON THE WESTERN PART OF THE BUILDING, THE PAPER SAID THE CHINESE SIDE WANTED TO KEEP THE BERTHING AREA FOR ITS FLEET WHILE THE BRITISH WANTED TO RECLAIM IT AND HAND IT BACK TO THE GOVERNMENT FOR COMMERCIAL USE. THE REPORT SAID THE BRITISH SIDE HAD YET TO AGREE TO HANDING OVER THE GUN CLUB BARRACKS TO THE CHINESE SIDE.

24. THE GOVERNOR WAS QUOTED AS SAYING (28.7) NO DECISION HAD BEEN TAKEN ON THE FUTURE OF THE DEFENCE LAND AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, A BALANCE HAD TO BE ACHIEVED BETWEEN THE REQUIREMENT OF THE GARRISON IN HK BOTH TODAY AND IN THE FUTURE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF

USING LAND NOT REQUIRED FOR DEFENCE PURPOSES IN THE INTEREST OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF HK.

AIRPORT

25.

THE NEXT AIRPORT COMMITTEE MEETING WOULD BE HELD NEXT WEDNESDAY. THE HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL (28.7) SAID IT WAS UNDERSTOOD THE BRITISH SIDE WOULD RESPOND TO SUGGESTIONS FROM THE CHINESE SIDE ON CAPITAL INJECTION AND LOANS THAT HAD BEEN RAISED IN THE LAST MEETING. THE PAPER QUOTED GOVERNMENT SOURCES AS SAYING GOOD PROGRESS HAD BEEN MADE IN THE PREVIOUS ROUNDS NOTING IF BOTH SIDES COULD AGREE ON THE AMOUNT OF CAPITAL INJECTION, AN OVERALL AGREEMENT ON THE AIRPORT FINANCIAL PACKAGE WOULD BE REACHED. SOURCES CLOSE TO THE CHINESE SIDE WERE QUOTED AS SAYING CHINA HAD

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