UK: LONDON: PRESIDENT CLINTON PRESS CONFERENCE

Описание: (30 May 1997) English/Nat

President Bill Clinton said on Thursday he would monitor Hong Kong after its handover to China to make sure civil liberties and democratic values were retained.

Clinton was speaking at a press conference at 10 Downing Street following talks with Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair.

He said everyone who cared about the colony's future had a stake in making sure civil liberties and democratic principles were maintained.

President Clinton took the opportunity of his one-day visit to Britain to emphasise the importance of maintaining human rights in Hong Kong once the colony is handed over to China.

He said Britain's new prime minister, Tony Blair, must work to implement the 1984 agreement guaranteeing Hong Kong citizens its current freedoms after the handover.

He also said he would closely monitor Hong Kong's progress after the change of sovereignty.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Let me say, finally we discussed the future of Hong Kong. And I commended the United Kingdom to work to implement the word and the spirit of the 1984 agreement. All of us who care about the future of Hong Kong have a stake in making sure the agreement is fully met. We will keep faith with the people of Hong Kong by monitoring the transition to make sure that civil liberties are retained, that democratic values and free market principles are maintained. Those are the things which the United Kingdom and the United States stand, and those are the things that the agreement guarantees."
SUPER CAPTION: Bill Clinton, US President

Hong Kong, with its population of six million, is preparing for the final stages of the handover when it returns to Chinese control on July 1st.

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