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SCMP Reporter

THE Government might extend the validity of present bids for the Central and Wan Chai Reclamation contract from July to October after negotiators on the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group's (JLG) Airport Committee failed to reach agreement on the project yesterday.

  A contractor bidding for the project said yesterday that the Government had already sought their consent to extend the validity of the contract to three dates in August, September and October.

  His consortium had agreed to extend the date from July 5 to either of these new dates and was waiting for a response from the Government.

  He said work on Phase I of the project would be hastened to make up for lost time. Phase I will house the airport railway's Central terminus.

  A government spokesman said a decision on any extension of dates would be made soon.

  The British team leader, Anthony Galsworthy, said three hours of talks had failed to secure mainland backing for the reclamation.

  On the overall financial package for Chek Lap Kok airport and its associated railway, Mr Galsworthy said a few more meetings would be needed before agreement on the extensive and complicated arrangements could be struck, although the two sides were edging forward.

  Britain had given its mainland counterparts some new input, but there would be a few weeks' break before talks could resume.

  It is understood the next meeting will not be held until the end of this month because the leader of the Chinese team, Guo Fengmin, is on leave for three weeks.

  In the meantime, informal contacts would continue, Mr Galsworthy said, who rejected suggestions that China was using delaying tactics to strengthen its hand in discussions with Britain on political reform.

  ''I think the discussions are serious. I don't think they are imposing delaying tactics,'' he said.

   Neither the JLG meeting nor the talks on electoral arrangements had a bearing on the airport committee meeting.

  A Chinese team member said they were still not satisfied with the latest financial package suggested by Britain.

  ''We still have quite a long way to go. The British side should further increase its capital injection as well as cutting down construction costs,'' he said.

  When asked why China had not approved the reclamation, he said it should be postponed until both sides had reached an agreement on the overall financial arrangements.

  Despite a stalemate at the committee meeting, the Provisional Airport Authority announced yesterday it had awarded contracts on the airport's pavement design and its lighting.

  United Democrat legislator Albert Chan Wai-yip said he believed that the airport issue could be solved only after both governments had reached an agreement on the electoral arrangements.

  Although the construction work of the Chek Lap Kok airport was already underway and would not be seriously affected by a lack of agreement at present, the airport railway would definitely suffer a delay, he said.



Contract delay for Central air plan