The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Tag: 1991

  • Doorstep Interview with Jill Morrell – 27 February 1991

    Below is a doorstep interview given by Jill Morrell, from the Friends of John McCarthy, after meeting the Prime Minister in London on Wednesday 27th February 1991.

    [Quality of recording very poor, some parts missing]

    QUESTION:

    Did Mr Major give you any grounds for optimism or hope?

    MISS MORRELL:

    Mr Major was very reassuring [inaudible] but he had nothing concrete to tell us, we did ask him for our points of view to be high on the agenda in the [inaudible] over the next few weeks.

    QUESTION:

    What more do you think he should be doing?

    MISS MORRELL:

    We just asked that they make sure that hostages are high on the agenda in any talks that do take place between Syria and [inaudible] and that they redouble their efforts to these governments to make sure that the hostages come home. But what we really wanted was [inaudible] and we do not actually have that yet.

    QUESTION:

    Are you optimistic that he will be home?

    MISS MORRELL:

    Not any more so really, no, but we do hope that the government will keep their promise to make sure that hostages are high on the agenda.

    QUESTION:

    Do you feel that there is any more that people in this country should be doing?

    MISS MORRELL:

    I think if they carry on sending postcards and the letters to their MPs and to [inaudible] and the Foreign Secretary then governments will not be allowed to forget the hostages.

    QUESTION:

    And do you think that the hostages there will be aware of it?

    MISS MORRELL:

    I think they may be aware of it, they may not, they hear very little about what is going on in the outside world. The only time they will be aware of what has been done for them is when they are actually released.

    QUESTION:

    How long has John been held hostage?

    MISS MORRELL:

    It will be five years on 17 April.

    QUESTION:

    [Inaudible]

    MISS MORRELL:

    We were very glad that he made it out and it does show that the governments do have to [inaudible].

  • Mr Major’s Joint Doorstep Interview with the Kuwaiti Ambassador – 27 February 1991

    Below is Mr Major’s joint doorstep interview with the Kuwaiti Ambassador in London on Wednesday 27th February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I have had the opportunity over the last few minutes of speaking to the Kuwaiti Ambassador, we have been discussing the general situation. As you will know, I am delighted to confirm that Kuwait City is now entirely free, there are a large number of allied troops actually in Kuwait City and other operations this morning are going extremely well. British troops are now in the British Embassy in Kuwait City, they are cleaning it up and I hope very much that the British Ambassador will be able to return very speedily, perhaps as early as tomorrow. I think the Ambassador may wish to say a word or two.

    KUWAITI AMBASSADOR:

    This is a great moment for me to hear that Kuwait City has been liberated and the British Ambassador is going soon to Kuwait. Thank you very much, we have seen the flag today rising up on the soil of Kuwait. Thank you for your sympathy and cooperation.

     

    QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, how much more fighting do you still feel has got to be done?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I hope there will not be too much still to come but clearly there is some, it is still continuing in places. I hope very soon that the Iraqis will realise the impossibility of their position and that fighting will be able to cease. But that is not wholly in our hands, I think we do have to look to the security of our own troops and our own positions and that does mean that the initiative is going to have to come from the Iraqis. But military plans are proceeding very satisfactorily at the moment.

    QUESTION:

    How are we telling the Iraqis to surrender given their poor communications?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think the Iraqis know what the situation is in the field and I think the Iraqis in Baghdad are very clear about the present situation.

    QUESTION:

    [Inaudible]

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think we had better conclude it first, we have never seen it in terms of victory or defeat, our purpose has been to ensure that Kuwait is free, to make sure that the legitimate government is back in Kuwait and that there is peace and security in the area. That has been our position all the way through, that is now in sight and I am very pleased about that.

    QUESTION:

    How far are you prepared to go particularly with those anxieties expressed internationally about your attitude towards Saddam Hussein himself and the possibility you might remove him?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We have made our position perfectly clear and it has not changed throughout the whole conflict. We require the implementation of all the Security Council resolutions and the conflict can cease when it is clear that those Security Council resolutions will be met in full. That is and always has been the situation.

    QUESTION:

    How long do you expect to remain on Iraqi territory?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We are not planning to occupy territory or dismember Iraq or any of those things, we have made that clear repeatedly, our aims are those we have set out. In due course events will return to normal, quite how speedily that will be one cannot be clear. There is still the fog of difficulties to determine, one does not know precisely what one is going to find. We are still seeing what difficulties exist actually in Kuwait City and elsewhere but we hope to bring the matter to a conclusion as speedily as possible.

    QUESTION:

    [Inaudible]

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think it is a very welcome sign to have, do you not think so?

    QUESTION:

    Can we ask you, Ambassador, what your priorities are now for Kuwait?

    KUWAITI AMBASSADOR:

    To ensure the safety of the people who are living now in Kuwait, that is our priority now.

    QUESTION:

    Are we going to see moves towards a freer government in Kuwait?

    KUWAITI AMBASSADOR:

    Yes, for sure.

  • PMQT Written Answers – 26 February 1991

    Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 26th February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Engagements

    Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 26 February.

    The Prime Minister : This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House I shall be having further meetings later today. This evening I hope to have an audience of Her Majesty the Queen.

     

    Civil Servants

    Mr. Dunn : To ask the Prime Minister what was the number of civil servants employed by each Department in 1979, and the number employed in the last year for which figures are available.

    The Prime Minister : Information on staff numbers by Department is to be found in summaries of departmental staff returns for 1 April 1979 and 1 October 1990, copies of which have been placed in the statistical section of the House of Commons Library. Table 2 of the Treasury publication “Civil Service Statistics”, 1984 and 1989-90 editions, will assist in tracing machinery of Government changes that have taken place between 1979 and now. Copies of this publication have also been placed in the Library.

     

    The Gulf

    Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister what representations he has received concerning the Gulf war.

    The Prime Minister : I have received a substantial number of representations, many supporting the Government’s policy to secure full, immediate and unconditional compliance with the Security Council resolutions.

    Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister what Governments of the allied coalition in the Gulf were contacted by Her Majesty’s Government, and in which sequence, for consultations on the Soviet peace plan for resolving the Gulf conflict before Ministers in the Government issued statements responding to the plan on 19 February.

    The Prime Minister : We remain in constant touch with our coalition partners on a wide range of matters relating to the Gulf crisis.

  • PMQT – 26 February 1991

    Below is the text of Prime Minister’s Question Time from 26th February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER

     

    Engagements

    Q1. Mr. Andrew MacKay : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 February.

    The Prime Minister (Mr. John Major) : This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall have further meetings later today. This evening I hope to have an audience of Her Majesty the Queen.

    Mr. MacKay : Will my right hon. Friend confirm that there can be no ceasefire in the Gulf war until all relevant United Nations resolutions have been fully implemented, prisoners of war and Kuwaiti hostages held in Iraq have been released and all Iraqi troops have laid down their arms?

    The Prime Minister : I entirely agree with my hon. Friend, but unfortunately the conditions that he so succinctly set out have not yet been met. As my hon. Friend will know, Saddam Hussein spoke again this morning, but without giving any indication whatsoever that Iraq will comply with all the Security Council resolutions. Instead, this morning Saddam Hussein reiterated his untrue claim that Kuwait was part of Iraq and threatened implicitly to return. He must know that meeting the Security Council resolutions is an essential step, and he must publicly and explicitly do so.

    I believe that we are now in a new situation with the beginning of the ground war. Our first concern has to be with the safety and security of our forces–[Hon. Members :– “Hear, hear.”] That means that we require all Iraqi forces in the theatre of operations–those occupying and those supporting the occupation of Kuwait–to abandon their weapons and equipment, and withdraw. Until they do so, they will be treated as hostile.

    Saddam Hussein started this war on his terms. He must end it on the terms set out by the United Nations.

    Mr. Kinnock : May I take this opportunity strongly to commend our forces for the bravery and professionalism that they are showing in the liberation of Kuwait? Does the Prime Minister share my view that Saddam Hussein could halt the war instantly if he were personally to announce his complete compliance with all relevant United Nations resolutions and, in addition, immediately release all the prisoners of war and civilians he is holding against their will in both Kuwait and Iraq?

    Finally, is it not clear that if Iraqi forces leave their military vehicles and lay down their arms, they will be safe from attack, our forces will know that they are also safe from attack, and all hostilities can end?

    The Prime Minister : The right hon. Gentleman is entirely right and I agree with him without reservation. He will know that, even this morning, Saddam Hussein said–I shall quote him because there was an implicit threat in what he said :

    “the Gates of Constantinople were not opened before the Muslims in the first struggling attempt.”

    That is the clearest threat that he will yet again return. We have a duty and an obligation to remove that threat using all necessary means.

    Dame Janet Fookes : As Saddam Hussein, like the devil, is the father of lies, would my right hon. Friend ensure that all in authority take not the slightest notice of what he says, but only of what he does?

    The Prime Minister : I can certainly give my hon. Friend that assurance. There have been many occasions in recent months when Saddam Hussein expressly told untruths. At one stage, his Foreign Minister was negotiating on one tack while he was speaking and acting on another. We simply cannot and do not trust him.

    Mr. Ashdown : Does the Prime Minister agree that, despite today’s welcome news, there is still much hard and potentially costly work to be done before Kuwait is made secure? He is entirely right to say that the safety of our troops and the long-term security of Kuwait mean that any Iraqi troops who wish to return home may do so, but only after they have surrendered their weapons. If they do so, will he say that, once Kuwait is at last liberated, secure and free from threat, Desert Storm will end?

    The Prime Minister : The right hon. Gentleman is quite right. Those are the circumstances in which Desert Storm can end. He is right to emphasise yet again the safety and security of our troops. Frankly, I do not believe that either they or world opinion would forgive us if, at this stage of the conflict, we permitted the Iraqis to withdraw with their weapons, perhaps with risk to our troops and the risk that they would return later.

     

    Q2. Mr. Robert G. Hughes : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Hughes : Can my right hon. Friend confirm that the Government have established 12 regional technology centres to aid technology transfer? Can he also confirm that under this Government, the number of science parks has increased from two to 39 with 22 more planned and that spending on civil research and development is higher, as a percentage of the gross national product, in this country than in Japan or in the United States? Does he agree that calls for the establishment of such policies, when they are already in train, merely demonstrates that those who call for them show muddle and ignorance, which dominate Labour party thinking?

    The Prime Minister : I cannot immediately imagine to what document my hon. Friend is referring. If, perchance, he is referring to the document on industrial and manufacturing matters that was released yesterday by the Labour party, he is a little unkind. There were some good ideas in that document. Unfortunately, the good ideas are already being implemented and the bad ideas are being recycled.

    Mr. Allen McKay : Does the Prime Minister agree with the Secretary of State for the Environment who wants to do away with the poll tax or with the Minister of State for the Environment who has gone on record in the Ribble Valley by-election as saying that he wishes to keep it?

    The Prime Minister : The next Member of Parliament for Ribble Valley, who I hope will soon be on the Conservative Benches, will be here in time to hear the result of our review of the community charge.

     

    Q3. Mr. French : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. French : Does my right hon. Friend agree that an industrial policy that is based on the creation of quangos, subsidies and inadequately costed tax breaks is, as the Financial Times called it this morning, a “recipe for economic distortion”?

    The Prime Minister : I agree with my hon. Friend, but, again, I fear that he is being too charitable. He has forgotten the reinvention of the son of National Enterprise Board, an enterprise which took money away from viable businesses to pick winners which, alas, went bust.

    Mr. Alfred Morris : What emphasis will the Government put on reparations from Iraq and to what extent will they be demanded? Moreover, what is the attitude of other Governments in the coalition?

    The Prime Minister : The attitude is set out in the Security Council’s resolutions. All Governments in the coalition subscribe to them and that remains the position.

     

    Q4. Mr. Ian Taylor : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Taylor : This House has been powerfully united against the terrorism practised by Saddam Hussein in Kuwait. Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is important that the House is also united against the evil acts of terrorism in this country and that it supports all measures, including the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989? Will he have a word with the Leader of the Opposition to encourage him to be more robust on the issue?

    The Prime Minister : No one doubts the commitment of the whole House to deal effectively with terrorism and not to give way to it. In my judgment, the widest possible support for the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act would be a welcome event and would help to that end.

     

    Q5. Mr. Ron Brown : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Brown : I know that the Prime Minister is involved in many important duties. However, will he understand one thing? The real enemy is at home ; the enemy is the capitalist system and the Tory Government. They are responsible for the problems of the British people.

    We have an example of a state-owned British company wishing to take over the fertiliser business, presently owned by ICI. That is blocked because of the Government’s blind party dogma. If we want investment in this country, is not that unfair to workers who may lose their jobs, especially in Leith, where there is a subsidiary owned by ICI called Scottish Agricultural Industries? Is not that wrong?

    The Prime Minister : It is a rum occasion when I have to take lessons in dogma from the hon. Gentleman.

     

    Q7. Sir Hugh Rossi : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Sir Hugh Rossi : As a successful end to the hostilities in the Gulf is happily within reach, will my right hon. Friend now ensure that the allies will combat, with the same vigour and single-mindedness of purpose, the premeditated ecological vandalism perpetrated by Saddam Hussein? It places at risk the worldwide environment from acid deposition, from accelerated global warming and from desertification, and it also pollutes and poisons the waters of the Gulf.

    The Prime Minister : My hon. Friend is right and he touches on an important point. The United Kingdom has already made a substantial contribution to help to deal with the pollution caused by the Iraqis in recent weeks. I am sure that my hon. Friend is right. An international effort will be needed and we will be part of that.

     

    Q8. Mr. Battle : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Battle : As it is clear that some of the right hon. Gentleman’s Social Security Ministers want to continue the freeze on child benefit and that some do not, will he tell us which ones he will back? Will he pledge now to make good the four-year cut in child benefit or will people have to rely on his one-off, occasional piecemeal statements at the Dispatch Box for their basic benefits?

    The Prime Minister : The hon. Gentleman knows very well that there are occasions when we make statements on public expenditure matters such as child benefit. This is not one of them.

    Mr. Dunn : When accounts are rendered for the Gulf war, will the Prime Minister seek to obtain an explanation of the extraordinary behaviour of the Soviet Union in recent days? Will he make it plain to the Soviet Government that they can play ball either with the west or with Iraq, but not with both?

    The Prime Minister : I shall have the opportunity to discuss all those matters with Mr. Gorbachev early next week.

     

    Q9. Mr. McAllion : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. McAllion : Is the Prime Minister aware that hundreds of young Scots, half of them aged under 18, pass through London’s night shelters every year and that research has shown that on average each of those youngsters has less than £2? Why does the Prime Minister continue to deny to the 16 and 17-year-olds among them the right to benefit? Is the fate of those youngsters who have been thrown on to the streets and are vulnerable to drugs and prostitution a matter of complete indifference to the Prime Minister and his Government?

    The Prime Minister : The hon. Gentleman is entirely wrong, as he knows. We have provided unprecedented training opportunities for young people of that age. There is no necessity whatsoever for any of them to be sleeping rough on the streets of London.

     

    Q10. Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Thurnham : Does my right hon. Friend agree that just as the world recognises the strength and discipline of our armed forces, so it should recognise the strength and discipline of our economy? Is not our pound sterling as strong as Chobham armour?

    The Prime Minister : I agree. My hon. Friend will know that there has been a remarkable series of events in recent months and he will also know that sterling has remained remarkably stable despite those events.

    Mr. Hume : During his visit to Northern Ireland last week, did anyone raise with the Prime Minister the security value of fixed military checkpoints? Did anyone point out that over the past 20 years nothing of security value has been found at such checkpoints, and that they have become security risks providing targets in the form of the young soldiers and policemen who man them? Is the Prime Minister considering reviewing the use of such checkpoints?

    The Prime Minister : I discussed a raft of security matters during my meetings in Northern Ireland last week. However, the hon. Gentleman is aware that it would be unwise to discuss them.

  • PMQT Written Answers – 25 February 1991

    Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 25th February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Norwegian Prime Minister

    Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister what was discussed at his meeting with his Norwegian counterpart on 13 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 21 February at column 223.

     

    Street Lighting

    Dr. Twinn : To ask the Prime Minister if he will seek to improve co- ordination between the Home Office and Departments of Environment and Transport to identify where early action can be taken to reduce the public’s fear of, and to help prevent, crime by improving the standard of street lighting in towns; and if he will make a statement.

    The Prime Minister : The Home Office has just received a first draft of a report of a major research study undertaken by the University of Southampton to assess the impact of improved street lighting on crime and the fear of crime in the London borough of Wandsworth. The results are being considered. The Home Office is also engaged in a monitoring exercise on the link between lighting improvements and crime in four urban areas. When all the relevant information is to hand Home Office Ministers will consider, in conjunction with other Departments as appropriate, what further action is necessary to try and reduce the public’s fear of crime.

     

    German Chancellor

    Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister what matters were discussed during his meeting with Chancellor Kohl in Bonn on 11 February.

    The Prime Minister : Chancellor Kohl and I discussed a number of current issues, including the Gulf, relations with the Soviet Union and European Community affairs. I look forward to developing our close relationship.

     

    Nuclear Accidents

    Dr. David Clark : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his progress in preparing a contingency plan to deal with the effects of any future nuclear accident overseas following the parliamentary answer to the hon. Member for Bedfordshire, North (Sir T. Skeet) on 30 June 1987, Official Report, columns 65-67.

    The Prime Minister : My right hon. Friend the Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Ridley), the then Secretary of State for the Environment, announced in January 1988 that proposals for implementing the national response plan had been finalised. Details of the proposals have been published in a booklet : “The National Response Plan and Radiation Incident Monitoring Network (RIMNET). A Statement of Proposals” published by HMSO, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

    The radiation monitors for the first phase of the RIMNET system have been in operation since June 1988, and I understand that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment will be making an announcement shortly with regard to the award of the contract for installing phase 2 of RIMNET.

     

    Electricity Prices

    Mr. Dobson : To ask the Prime Minister whether his office has been consulted about the proposed 13 per cent. increase in domestic electricity prices.

    The Prime Minister : It is for the Director General of Electricity Supply to receive and consider the companies’ proposals, and to satisfy himself that they are consistent with the companies’ licence requirements.

     

    The Gulf

    Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister what communications he, or his officials, had with the deputy director-general of the BBC on 13 February concerning BBC news coverage of the casualties caused to Iraqi civilians by allied air raids on Baghdad.

    The Prime Minister : There is contact on a regular basis between my office and the media on a variety of subjects, including the coverage of the Gulf conflict.

    Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister if President Bush contacted Her Majesty’s Government prior to his speech in Massachusetts on 15 February calling for the overthrow of President Saddam Hussein; and what is the Government’s policy in relation to the President of Iraq.

    The Prime Minister : The Government’s policy towards Iraq is to secure full, immediate and unconditional compliance with the Security Council resolutions.

    Mr. Latham : To ask the Prime Minister whether he will make a statement on the progress of military action to liberate Kuwait in accordance with resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.

    The Prime Minister : The military action to free Kuwait is making steady progress, while attempting to avoid civilian casualties so far as possible. The forces of the multinational coalition deserve great credit for their performance.

  • Mr Major’s Doorstep Statement – 24 February 1991

    Below is Mr Major’s doorstep statement given in London on Sunday 24th February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER:
    The Chief of the Defence Staff has just been briefing me on operational matters so far and I have also had the opportunity of talking to President Bush so we can concert the advice that we both had. The Chief of the Defence Staff has also been in close consultation with General Powell throughout the day.

    Thus far things seem to be going very well indeed, we are pleased with what has happened so far. The plans do seem to be ahead of schedule and as you will have heard earlier there are a very substantial number of Iraqi prisoners that have been taken. I must say at this stage though that this is a very early stage of the campaign, it may well be tougher in days to come though the beginning has been as satisfactory as we could have hoped.

    We are still getting continuing reports of atrocities in Kuwait City, the damage, damage to buildings, blowing up the Parliamentary building and the other atrocities that I mentioned earlier today, they are continuing and I think that does illustrate very clearly that we were right to take this action now and not to delay any longer. I am afraid there is no further information that I can give you at the moment but I am happy to take one or two questions on non-operational matters if that would be helpful.

    QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, do you feel that the accounts coming out from some allied centres are in danger of being euphoric or are you yourself just saying cautious?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    No, I think it is right to be cautious, this is a very early stage of the campaign, we must wait and see what happens over a longer period. There may be more difficult days ahead than those we have had thus far.

    QUESTION:

    General Schwarzkopf has said that casualties had been very light, what do we know about the British forces and what happened to them?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    No I can give you no operational information of that sort but I can certainly confirm what General Schwarzkopf has said, the casualties have been very light so far.

    QUESTION:

    He also did mention British involvement. I know you cannot go into detail but can you just say a word or two about the extent of British involvement so far?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    British involvement is growing and I think that will become apparent over the days ahead but I am afraid I can give you no more information than that.

    QUESTION:

    Dick Cheney has said he thinks it is going to be a relatively short war, is that your reading of the situation?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think it will be relatively short, I think that is true, I do not think it is possible at this stage to put a time limit to it, that depends on a large number of matters that at the moment are simply not knowable. It has begun well, there is some way to go, but I do not think it will go on for a terribly long time.

    QUESTION:

    And the casualties, however light, what is your message to the families who are waiting at home and do not know any more than we do?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Everyone can understand the agony of the people who are waiting at home and I am sorry one cannot give them more precise information. As soon as any information is available we will of course communicate it but it must of course be first to them I think.

    QUESTION:

    Can you give us a flavour of what you were able to say to President Bush or what he was able to say to you?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We simply compared notes on how it had gone so far and how we expected it to develop from now on and I think that is all I can say about that.

  • Mr Major’s Statement from Chequers – 24 February 1991

    Below is Mr Major’s statement from Chequers on Sunday 24th February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think as you all know the land battle started at an early time this morning. It is a massive encounter and it will not cease until the Iraqis have been completely driven out of Kuwait. I very much appreciate the diplomatic efforts that have been put in hand over the last few days to try and avoid this particular conflict. But they have failed and they have failed because at no time was the Iraqi leadership prepared to accept the Security Council resolutions in full, at no time were they prepared to do so.

    We have also seen in the last few days that there was neither time nor reason to delay the land battle any longer, no reason because the Security Council resolutions were not going to be met, and no time because of what is now happening in Kuwait city. There are now something over 200 oil wells that have been wantonly set alight on the direct instructions of the Iraqi leadership. That number is rising hour by hour. The Iraqis are engaged upon the systematic destruction of Kuwait city. We have repeated reports of young men and women being rounded up and executed in Kuwait city, murdered perhaps would be a more apt word for what is going on there. And we also have reports of large numbers of Kuwaitis being herded together on trucks and taken out of Kuwait to Iraq, presumably to be used as a bargaining counter in some discussions at the end of the conflict.

    I think it is clear therefore that the nature of the regime with which we are dealing is not a regime whose words you can rely upon or with whom you can deal in the normal manner. The land campaign has therefore begun.

    I spoke at length yesterday afternoon not only to the leaders of a number of members of the allied coalition but also to the Commander of our forces in the Middle East, General de la Billiere. He was confident of what was to come, he was well prepared and assures me that the troops were well prepared. He is also well aware of the risks and the dangers that will need to be overcome in the next few days.

    I know you will not expect me to give you any indication at this early stage of how the conflict is going. I cannot do so, it would not be in the interests of our troops to do so and they of course must be our prime concern. As soon as it is possible to say something more concrete about that then of course we will do so.

    If I may, I would like to add one final word to the families of those men who are engaged in this conflict in the Gulf. It will not, I believe, be a long conflict but it may be a fierce one. There is no doubt in my mind that it is an absolutely justifiable conflict and that we will win it. As soon as that is confirmed we will bring home the men who have been engaged in it at the earliest possible time.

    QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

    QUESTION:

    [Inaudible]

    PRIME MINISTER:

    [Indistinct] time and time again, we have had quite differing signals from the Iraqis, we simply cannot rely on what they have said. The whole world will have noticed in the last few days the quite distinct voices that came out of Moscow with the negotiations that Tariq Aziz was carrying out there and the speeches that Saddam Hussein was making in Baghdad, they were wholly different. As for the future, that will have to take care of itself.

    QUESTION:

    What were your personal feelings this morning?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I am very sorry that it has come to this. A tremendous amount of effort has gone in over many months by a large number of people to ensure that we did not come to this particular conflict so I am saddened that it has done so. But I must say I am absolutely convinced that there is no choice and that it is right. If the Iraqis were to succeed, if they were to get away with what they have sought to do over the last few months, then I think that would be intolerable not just for Kuwait but for the rest of the world. So I think there is an inevitability about what is happening at the moment and I am absolutely clear in my mind that it will end successfully.

    QUESTION:

    Saddam Hussein has been defiant yet again in his tone, what do you think of his tone that he seems to be continuing with again this morning?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Arrogant, unrealistic, and it must soon dawn even on him that he is going to lose and lose big.

    QUESTION:

    Now that the land war has started, how should Saddam Hussein end it, is it going to be difficult for him merely to make a statement that he intends to withdraw now that the forces are engaged? What signal does he have to give that will allow this war to end?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    There is no sign of him giving any signal at all that it proposes to end, even this morning he has been making wholly unrealistic and wholly defiant and wholly untruthful speeches. So there is no sign from him whatsoever that it is going to end so I am in no position to forecast that. I know what the end will be, the end will be that he will lose, but how that will come about I am afraid it is impossible for me to judge at the moment.

  • Mr Major’s Doorstep Interview at Stormont Castle – 22 February 1991

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s doorstep interview at Stormont Castle on 22nd February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Good morning, it’s very nice to be here in Northern Ireland. I had hoped that I was going to be here for the whole day, but I’m afraid with events elsewhere, as I think you know, it will be a slightly curtailed trip, and I’ll be here for the morning, but not, alas, this afternoon.

    QUESTION:

    Mr Major, do you feel in any sense boxed in as a result of the Gorbachev plan, the peace plan right now?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    No, I don’t feel boxed in at all. There are some new proposals about that are being introduced; we are analysing those; we’re examining them. They are in advance on what we had before. They are still some way short of the UN resolution. They do seem to have significant deficiencies in them and as of the moment we don’t know whether the Iraqis are prepared to accept them. Now, what we will do this morning is analyse those, examine them and I will go back to London around about lunchtime. I will have some meetings with colleagues; I will liaise with the other allies and we will then make some judgements, but it’s too early to make those yet.

    QUESTION:

    Is the land war on hold as a result though?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    No, the conflict is continuing at the moment, there is no reason for it not to continue until an agreement is made that it won’t continue and that depends on meeting the Security Council resolutions. They haven’t yet been met.

    QUESTION:

    Can you outline the two deficiencies?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We’ll do that later on today. We’ll analyse them fully first. All I can say at the moment is they’re better than we had before, but at the moment they don’t look good enough. We’ll examine them later on today.

    QUESTION:

    Can I ask you a question on Northern Ireland, what your view at present is on the initiative which Mr Brooke is trying to push?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think it’s a very worthwhile initiative; I think Peter Brooke has pushed it with great skill, and great patience and is continuing to do so; I hope very much it will be successful; it will be a substantial advantage if it is.

    QUESTION:

    Are you optimistic about it?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I’m always optimistic. Commonsense suggests it should win.

    QUESTION:

    Could I ask you also about the attack on you and Downing Street by the IRA and also the bombing of the Victoria Station? What is your attitude to the IRA after that attack and is your visit in anyway connected with that?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    No, my visit is not connected with it and my attitude to the IRA has not changed as a result of those attacks. That attack on Downing Street occurred ten days or so ago and then of course there was an attack at Paddington and Victoria, but in Northern Ireland you’ve had to live with attacks like that for a very considerable period of time, and my feeling about those attacks is just as strong as my feeling about the attacks in London, so my attitude hasn’t changed. I thought the IRA were contemptible before and I still do.

    QUESTION:

    The IRA and Sinn Fein say that you will have to talk to them at some stage. What’s your response to that?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    They know our position on that; they have been trying for a very great deal of time to bully us and push us around with terrorist acts and outrage. They really ought to have learned; they’re very slow learners; they really ought to know after all these years that we aren’t going to be pushed around by terrorist acts. This Government isn’t; its predecessors weren’t and we aren’t going to be pushed around in that way in the future.

    QUESTION:

    What are the conditions on the Brooke initiative talks at the moment?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think we are pursuing those; the Secretary of State is pursuing patient diplomacy and other ways at the moment and that is the way we will continue.

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, does it alarm you that tactics used in Ulster by the IRA are now being repeated on the mainland?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Terrorist attacks anywhere, whether they are on the mainland or whether they’re in Northern Ireland are disturbing, but they are also counter-productive; they’re not going to gain anything for the IRA, absolutely nothing whatsoever; they will gain them no public support and they will gain them no political advance; they really should learn that.

    QUESTION:

    Are you happy, Prime Minister, with the co-operation given to the British Government by the Irish Government on security and particularly to the Anglo-Irish Agreement?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    There’s a substantial improvement and co-operation between the British and the Irish Governments and the relationship has been very good, but there’s always room for improvement.

  • Mr Major’s Doorstep Interview (III) – 22 February 1991

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s third doorstep interview on Friday 22nd February 1991, held in London outside 10 Downing Street.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think you will all be very well versed on the various peace initiatives that have been made in the last few days. I am grateful for the fact that they were made but I think it is clear, in view of what has happened, that the Iraqis have been more concerned with seeking to evade the context of the Security Council Resolutions than to meet those particular Resolutions.

    In the light of that, the Coalition partners decided today that they would issue a statement to set out precisely what was required in order to stop that conflict. The statement that has been made has been agreed with all the Coalition partners; it has been the subject of very substantial discussion; it is perfectly clear; and it is not negotiable.

    So Iraq now know precisely what they have to do. I hope they recognise that we are not prepared to bargain with them and we are certainly not prepared to be strung along by them. What is necessary is perfectly clear; they have known what the Security Council Resolutions are since November of last year – the time has now come for them to implement them. If they fail to implement them, then they will know what the consequences are and I think everyone will know precisely where the blame will lie for any events that follow subsequently.

    I think, therefore, that I have nothing more to say about that but I am happy to take any questions you may have.

    QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS :

    QUESTION (JOHN SERGEANT – BBC TV):

    Prime Minister, what happens if Saddam Hussein decides unilaterally that the Iraqis will withdraw from Kuwait?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    He now knows what is necessary. What is necessary is to implement the Security Council Resolutions in full and to state authoritatively and publicly that he is proposing to do that. That is what we require of him.

    We are really not prepared to be strung along any longer; it is not in the interests of Kuwait; it is not in the interests of our armed forces; and it is not in the interests of the whole territory – I hope he recognises that.

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, what hopes do you have?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We have seen on a number of occasions in the past that hopes have been raised and then dashed so I am not going to express whatever hopes I have. I think it is necessary to set out the position clearly and that we have done. There is now no doubt whatsoever about the position the Allies hold.

    MICHAEL BRUNSON (ITN):

    [Indistinct] you are not, as such, going to offer Saddam Hussein a cease-fire, that is not part of the agreement? Can you explain why not?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    The position is perfectly clear, Michael. We have set out what he needs to do. If he does that, then the possibility of a cease-fire is there and we would have a cease-fire but we are not in a position of bargaining with him. He knows what needs to be done; he has known it for a long time; it is time for him to stop fooling about and do it.

    MICHAEL BRUNSON (ITN):

    And the moment he begins to withdraw, then we would consider holding our fire?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We need an authoritative statement of what he is prepared to do – one that is unmistakable – and it needs to be followed by clear-cut action.

    QUESTION:

    Can he withdraw with his military armour with him or must he leave some of that armour behind in Kuwait?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    He has a time-frame to get out; we will have to wait and see how that works out.

    QUESTION:

    Do you think that the agreement today is something which could be built on?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    There isn’t an agreement today! What has happened today is that we have set out – so that there may be no doubt about it – what terms we require of the Iraqis. That is the position; it is not negotiable; it is not an agreement. The Security Council Resolutions set out what was necessary a long time ago; they are not something that Saddam Hussein should play games with – he should obey them!

    QUESTION:

    Is the bombing to go on then, Mr. Major?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    The conflict continues until such time as Saddam Hussein stops it by announcing that he will meet the Security Council Resolutions and begin to withdraw.

    QUESTION:

    It has been suggested, Prime Minister, that napalm might be being used on the Allied side. Is that right?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    No. I have heard no such suggestion.

    JOHN COLE (BBC TV)

    Prime Minister, is 5 p.m. tomorrow, London time, when the land war can begin?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    It is analogous to the 15 January deadline that we had on an earlier occasion.

    JOHN COLE (BBC TV)

    You don’t say that it will begin at that time?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    No, I don’t say that it will begin at that time.

    QUESTION:

    Is the war on or off in your opinion now?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    That is a matter for Saddam Hussein to decide – I wish I knew the answer! We very much want it to be off. We have tried repeatedly to make sure it was off. I don’t think we could, frankly, have done any more to ensure that this conflict ended. We have done all we can during the conflict to minimise casualties – that has been the consistent position of the Allies throughout the whole of this affair and it remains it – but the situation now is clearly in Saddam Hussein’s hands; he can stop the war and he cannot any longer claim to be in the slightest doubt about what he needs to do to stop it.

    QUESTION:

    So it is on?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    That is for him to determine, isn’t it?

    QUESTION:

    What precisely will you want to see at 5 o’clock tomorrow to be sure that the Iraqis are withdrawing?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We want a clear and authoritative statement that he is prepared to withdraw, that he is prepared to meet the Security Council Resolutions and that he begins to do so.

    QUESTION:

    Does he, Prime Minister, actually have to start withdrawing or merely say that he will?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We need the authoritative statement and then he will need to begin to withdraw very speedily.

    QUESTION:

    What is your reaction to the scorched action by the Iraqis?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    They have been damaging oil wells for some time. It does seem to have been accelerated by a very substantial extent over the last 48 hours or so. Precisely what the purpose is, one can only conjecture but clearly it is happening; it is undesirable and it is not something we would wish to see continue.

    MICHAEL BRUNSON (ITN):

    But clearly he has to stop doing that as well as the real danger is that if you give him any leeway at all he would continue to try and destroy those?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think that is self-evidently so.

    QUESTION:

    There is no lessening of any military activity between now and the deadline?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    None whatsoever. The military activity will continue until such time as a statement is made that he will obey the Security Council Resolutions and he then does begin to do so.

    Thank you all very much indeed!

  • Mr Major’s Doorstep Interview (II) – 22 February 1991

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s second doorstep interview on Friday 22nd February 1991, held in London outside 10 Downing Street.

    QUESTION:

    Can you tell us about your response to the peace proposals?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We have had an opportunity of looking at it in some depth; we had a look at it overnight. We had some discussions this morning with the United States and with others. I had the opportunity of speaking at length to the President on the phone earlier this morning, and on behalf of the Allies he will make our response clear fairly shortly I think.

    QUESTION:

    Is it broadly a rejection or is it broadly an acceptance?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    It will be broadly clear in a few moments and the President will make it clear on behalf of all of us.

    QUESTION:

    Will there be other diplomatic steps being taken this afternoon?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    The first thing that is going to happen is that we will make clear our response to the 8-point plan that was announced last evening. We will make our response absolutely crystal clear and I think other things will follow automatically from that. I don’t think you will have to wait very long for it.

    QUESTION:

    Will the response be the response of all the allied countries?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Yes, all the allied countries. There has been a considerable degree of consultation since last evening and it will be a response on behalf of all the allies. The precise timing is not too far away.

    QUESTION:

    And are you anticipating further negotiations?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think you had better wait for the statement and I think then all will become clear.

    QUESTION:

    Would you be able to give us more details in person later, Prime Minister?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think it is quite possible I will.