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Following is the transcript of a media session by the Secretary for Economic Development and Labour, Mr Stephen Ip, after attending a meeting of the Legislative Council Economic Services Panel today (February 23) (English portion):

Reporter: How do you respond to the legislators' concern that there might be adverse impact on the charges and the welfare of the workers at the Airport Authority after privatisation?

Stephen Ip: I think we are as concerned as the Members on the impact of the privatisation, on the employees and on Hong Kong's status as an aviation hub. We are fully aware of all these concerns and we will need to address all these concerns before we proceed with privatisation. That is why we emphasise the most important thing is to talk to the stakeholders. It is important that we talk to all of them, consult them and then we will come back to Legco (the Legislative Council) and discuss it with Legco members.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion)

Ends/Monday, February 23, 2004

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