The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Tag: 1992

  • Mr Major’s Comments on the Balkans – 31 December 1992

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s comments on the Balkans, made in an interview on Thursday 31st December 1992.

    QUESTION:

    [Mr Major was asked what could the European Community and the United Nations do about the Balkans].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think it is worth first of all putting into context what has already been happening and the cause of the conflict there. What we have seen breaking out in the former Yugoslavia are age-old feuds and hatreds; they have been bitter hatreds that have existed in many cases for centuries, from time to time they break out. That has happened in Yugoslavia over the last twelve months or so.

    We have been trying to seek a political settlement, a diplomatic settlement and I think it is fair to say that Britain has been in the lead for that search firstly with Lord Carrington, now Lord Owen and with Cy Vance. It was the British that sent Dame Ann Warburton there to look at many of the vicious attacks there had been on Muslim women and of course it was Britain as President of the European Community that called the London Conference, so we have been in the forefront firstly of seeking a diplomatic settlement but also of course we were the first to provide in significant numbers troops to help with humanitarian aid in Bosnia and it is absolutely vital that that humanitarian aid continues so I think it is worth putting that in context first.

    What has been happening over recent weeks I think also needs looking at very carefully. We have three principal concerns: the first is to seek a political solution if one is available; the second is to ensure that the humanitarian aid continues to be delivered; and the third is to bring to an end within Bosnia hostilities and to prevent hostilities spreading beyond Bosnia down to Kosovo or down to the south. That is absolutely vital and I think one of the main concerns we have is ensuring not just that we stop the present conflict but that we prevent a wider conflict erupting.

    QUESTION:

    [Mr Major was asked that the British role so far hadn’t stopped Serb aggression, and was British action sufficient].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Let us consider the options firstly. As far as sanctions are concerned, they have had some impact, not a dramatic impact. I think those sanctions can be stepped up and perhaps stepped up quite dramatically – that may well be necessary. I think also we may have to look at complete and total diplomatic isolation of Serbia. I think that also is a possibility that we will need to look at and we certainly need to tighten as well as extend the existing sanctions regime. Contemplation of all that is going on at the moment and it may be necessary.

    I think Serbia should understand very plainly the increasing impatience and despair that is felt in the West at the way in which they have been behaving. Everyone to a certain extent is to blame for the present conflict that we see, but the primary blame, beyond a doubt in our mind, lies with the Serbs. They are the principal cause of the present conflict and people are getting very impatient with that, not just us – the European Community collectively, the United States and others as well. I don’t believe they should push that impatience too far.

  • Mr Major’s Christmas Message to the Falkland Islands – 25 December 1992

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s Christmas message to the Falkland Islands, recorded on Monday 7th December 1992.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    At every Conservative Party conference, I make a point of visiting the Falkland Islands stand. It is a reminder that although you are far away in miles you occupy a prominent place in our thoughts and in our affections.

    It has not been an uneventful year for any of us. Throughout Europe we face one of the longest and deepest recessions that we have ever known and I know that you face problems too, especially over your income from fisheries and because of the low world price for wool. Let us hope that 1993 will be a better year for all of us. For you it will I know see the start of the seismic survey which will show at last whether there is oil in commercial quantities in Falklands’ waters. We have our fingers crossed for you.

    Norma and I were very sorry not to visit you during your heritage year but I have heard of its success and I warmly congratulate you upon it. As you can imagine, problems near home have loomed large this year and have prevented me from travelling very far afield but I hope I shall be able to remedy what is undoubtedly my loss before too long and I do hope you realise that out of sight does not mean out of mind. We continue to give very high priority to your interests and to your welfare and not from a sense of duty alone hut because of the genuine strength of feeling for you here at home in Britain.

    Hardly a day goes by when we do not owe a debt of gratitude to the men and women of the Armed Forces and not least of course for what they do in the Falkland Islands, It is at this time of the year that family separations are the hardest to bear so I send the men and women of the Armed Forces in the Falklands my very special thanks and good wishes for Christmas; I know that goes for the people of the Falkland Islands as well.

    On behalf of the Government, my own family and everyone else in Britain may I send you my very warmest greetings for a Happy Christmas and wish you the very best of good fortune in the New Year.

  • Mr Major’s Statement at Redoubt – 22 December 1992

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s statement at Redoubt on Tuesday 22nd December 1992.

    QUESTION:

    Can we have your first impressions, Prime Minister?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think the first impression is the impression you get as you drive up from Split, what used to be a tiny mud road is now becoming a perfectly usable road to deliver humanitarian supplies, that has happened because of our engineers and I think we can be very proud of them.

    QUESTION:

    How concerned are you about the risks as your troops do more and more to try and stop this war?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I am concerned and that is one of the reasons I am here, I wanted to be here to assess the risk for myself, talk to the Commanders in the field, examine what is happening, see the terrain so that I am in a far better position to make judgments than before. So yes of course I am concerned about the risk but the prime concern that I must have is to ensure the safety and security of our troops here.

    QUESTION:

    Are those risks increased by the enforcement of a No Fly Zone?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We will have to make sure when the No Fly Zone is enforced, I think there is going to be a No Fly Zone resolution, the nature of it is clearly important, that is still under discussion, and as that happens we will need to ensure the security of our troops here, that is paramount.

    QUESTION:

    Do you feel that the imposition of that No Fly Zone will make us combatants rather than be able to continue the humanitarian work here?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    No, we are here to help with the humanitarian work, I think there are wider reasons for the No Fly Zone that we have discussed before and will discuss again. I think increasingly it is becoming evident that it is necessary. What is happening across Bosnia is not acceptable, we have seen it, you see it day to day on television, you read about it, we all know of the atrocities that are being committed and I think it has to be made clear that those are not acceptable. There is a Security Council resolution applying a No Fly Zone. I do not think we can allow that to be flouted hence there is a need to enforce it, but there is more than one way of enforcing it and these are the matters under discussion.

    QUESTION:

    You have talked about reinforcing them?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I am not going to discuss matters like that, I wanted to see what was happening on the ground itself.

    QUESTION:

    But it is an option?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Of course it is an option, all things are an option, I am determined to look at the security of our troops, that is the paramount concern.

    QUESTION:

    The paramount concern is surely to save lives here is it not?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We are saving lives with the humanitarian delivery, that of course is what our troops are here for, but we must also make absolutely sure that our troops carrying that out are firstly properly protected and secondly not put in unnecessary danger, they are doing a vitally important job and we must make sure that they are able to do it securely.

    QUESTION:

    But is there not a lack of clarity over whether we are here primarily to save lives?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    No, there is no lack of clarity about that, the mandate for the British troops here is a humanitarian mandate, that is what they are here for, they are to help assist in the delivery of humanitarian aid into a number of pockets where it is badly needed, that is their job here at the moment.

  • Mr Major’s Address to Troops at Redoubt – 22 December 1992

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s address to the troops at Redoubt on Tuesday 22nd December 1992.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I am afraid in the next few months it is going to get less easy, the weather so far has been better than it might have been, it will get worse, no doubt there will be other difficulties, I think we need to be prepared for that, you have been here for some time getting ready so that you are prepared for that.

    But I think we need to bear in mind a couple of things. Let me tell you, over the weekend I spent the weekend in the United States talking to President Bush and others, he particularly asked me to say to you how much admiration there is in the United States and elsewhere for the work that the British troops are doing here, I think people know that you are the backbone, ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid.

    I can only say to you, you may think out here pretty much that you are on your own when you are widening the road or when the Cheshires are operating up the road a little, but day after day people at home are seeing what you are doing, they are hearing about what you are doing, they are concerned about what you are doing and there are millions of people watching it with a very great degree of admiration. So if you do feel pretty cold, pretty chilly, pretty much on your own out there I would just like you to know there are a lot of people thinking of what you are doing.

    And the importance of what you are doing is very difficult to over-state. There would be an awful lot of people who would die this winter but for the work that you are able to do and will be doing through the winter, we would not have the roads widened, we would not have the humanitarian aid through, we would not have the medicines through without that, there are a lot of men, women and children who simply would not survive this winter and that is why you are here and I would just like to express my gratitude to you for that.

    It is Christmas, you are a long way from home, it is not a great time to be away from home but there will be a lot of other people who will see a few more Christmases because you have sacrificed this Christmas away from your families and out here and I would like to say Thank You to you for that.

    You probably know some of the diplomatic moves going on at the moment about the No Fly Zone. I suspect there is going to be a No Fly Zone resolution, we spent the weekend talking about the details of that in America, it will come I suspect before the United Nations in a few days time. Final details of that are still to be determined but I just want to say this to you, when we have that No Fly Zone be absolutely certain that the matter foremost in the minds of the government and others will be to ensure your security out here, that is not for one second going to be overlooked as we make further diplomatic moves. I would like you to know that and I would like your families back home in Germany, where many of them will be, or in the United Kingdom, to know that as well.

    So I think that is really all I have got to say, thanks for what you are doing, keep safe, have as good a Christmas as you can and I hope we can get you home as soon as we may. Thank you all very much indeed.

  • Mr Major’s Pool Interview en route to Bosnia – 22 December 1992

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s pool interview given to journalists en route to Bosnia on Tuesday 22nd December 1992.

    INTERVIEWER:

    Prime Minister, why are you making this trip?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We have British troops deployed out there, quite large numbers of them, and deployed out there in very difficult circumstances. I want to go and see the circumstances in which they are working and thank them for the work they are doing.

    INTERVIEWER:

    How important is that work because there were questions raised at the outset of whether this was a major contribution, a lot of troops but was this vital work that they were doing?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Oh it is vital, I do not think there is any doubt at all. The view of the United Nations and of everyone else is that the British troops there are now the absolute backbone of the humanitarian effort, they are doing a superb job in the most difficult circumstances and in the most difficult terrain, I think you will see that for yourself later today.

    INTERVIEWER:

    And will you be able to convince them that they are not at any greater risk as a result of plans to enforce a No Fly Zone over Bosnia?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Their safety and their security is my first concern, I want to see that for myself today, if it is necessary to make any changes in policy then we will make changes in policy. The security of our troops is paramount, absolutely no doubt whatsoever about that. And I want to go there, I want to thank them for what they have been doing and I want to tell them what is happening diplomatically and what that may mean for them, they are our troops, they have a right to know it and I am looking forward to telling them face to face.

  • Mr Major’s Comments on Bosnia – 21 December 1992

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s comments on Bosnia, made in an interview on Monday 21st December 1992.

    QUESTION:

    [Mr Major was asked if he had been pushed into a policy on Bosnia against his will].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I don’t believe remotely that is the case. We have reacted very cautiously on Bosnia but I think we also have to realise what is happening there. Many of the actions we have seen in Bosnia are quite unspeakable, quite intolerable, and I think we have to reflect that in our policy but I say there is caution and I say that for good reason. Although I think policy is now moving forward, people have to realise the wider issues that are actually at stake in Bosnia. Bosnia itself is very important, so of course is the danger of conflagration spreading either to Macedonia or Kosovo. Were either of those two events to happen, one might have a much wider Balkans war. That is something we need to bear in mind as we develop our policy as we have been doing.

    QUESTION:

    [Mr Major was asked if he had support from the US if British troops or aid workers were attacked].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I am very happy with the discussions I had with President Bush over the weekend. There is still some more work to be done on the nature of the no-fly zone Resolution. I am confident now that there will be and that we will be able to take policy forward. I think for a raft of reasons it is desirable that we should have this particular Resolution and we have been looking at how it will be enforced, the nature of enforcement, the time-scale and those were all matters which we discussed over the weekend.

    QUESTION:

    [Mr Major was asked if there would be a 15 day warning period to the Serbs].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    It is certainly our wish that there should be a pause between the passage of the Resolution and its commencement for a whole series of practical reasons to do with the security of the UN humanitarian forces and also the British forces – that is certainly true.

    There is no agreement on the period. The 15 days has entered into parlance because that of course was the period that applied in Kuwait, but there are different circumstances in Bosnia and no time-scale has yet been agreed.

  • Mr Major’s Joint Statement with President George Bush – 20 December 1992

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s joint statement with President George Bush on the situation in the former Yugoslavia, issued on 20th December 1992.

    STATEMENT BY PRIME MINISTER JOHN MAJOR AND PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH:

    The President of the United States and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom have agreed as follows.

    The objectives of our policy are:

    (a) to work for a peaceful and just settlement in the former Yugoslavia;
    (b) to prevent the spread of the fighting in particular to Kosovo and Macedonia;
    (c) to maintain the humanitarian aid effort which includes over 2,000 British troops and without which many more lives will be lost this winter.

    The President and Prime Minister paid tribute to the work of the United Nations in the former Yugoslavia and to the courage and dedication of the troops who are ensuring that convoys get through. They welcomed the success of the UN and its agencies, despite all the odds, in delivering large quantities of aid to those in need. They agreed on the importance of enabling that effort to go ahead.

    The United States and the United Kingdom have agreed to cooperate on a Resolution in the United Nations to enforce compliance with the ‘no-fly’ zone for Bosnia should violation of the existing ban continue. The aim of the resolution would be to prevent flights taking place other than those specifically authorized by the United Nations.

    The President and the Prime Minister:

    (a) agreed that steps need to be taken to prevent the spread of fighting into Kosovo and Macedonia;
    (b) welcomed the decision to deploy UN troops in Macedonia and hoped that this UN presence would be stepped up over the coming weeks;
    (c) agreed also to press for the very early increase in the numbers of observers in Kosovo;
    (d) agreed that our attitude to sanctions would depend on a rapid and radical change of policy by Serbia;
    (e) confirmed that they would be ready, depending on Serbia’s response, to impose new sanctions. They could initially include cutting postal and telecommunication links and could lead to closing the borders and complete diplomatic isolation for years to come.

    The President and the Prime Minister paid tribute to the work of Cy Vance and David Owen in trying to negotiate a peaceful settlement in the former Yugoslavia. Both Governments will continue to give the negotiators their full support.

  • Mr Major’s Joint Press Conference with President Bush – 20 December 1992

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s joint press conference with President George Bush, held in Washington on Sunday 20th December 1992.

    PRESIDENT BUSH:

    Let me just say that once again we have had a very good meeting with the Prime Minister up at Camp David, I expect this will be my last such meeting but I will tell you that it was fruitful and I feel as strongly as I ever have about the strength of the UK/US relationship, it is vital to our own interest, I know the Prime Minister feels that way and the talks just could not have gone better. We covered a wide array of subjects, almost every area of the globe, we did it in a relaxed atmosphere, it was a special joy to have Mrs Major with us at this Christmas season, we inundated them with Christmas carols and I think as far as I am concerned it was a very wonderful visit with a distinguished world leader.

    We did spend a lot of time talking about the former Yugoslavia and we spelt out some objectives for our policy, nothing particularly new in it, but we agreed that working for a peaceful and just settlement in the former Yugoslavia is essential. We agreed that there is a risk and we must prevent the spread of fighting, in particular in Kosovo and Macedonia.

    Then I saluted the British leadership role in the humanitarian side of things, they have forces on the ground in harm’s way and those forces are doing the Lord’s work in terms of bringing relief, so we talked about maintaining the humanitarian aid effort which includes the British troops and without which clearly many more lives would be lost in the winter.

    So we spelt these objectives out and Prime Minister I enjoyed the visit, I do not want to monopolise it, maybe you would care to add something, Sir?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Mr President, thank you very much. Can I just echo what the President had to say about the discussions we have had over the weekend. But further than that, as the President said, this may be the last meeting we have of this kind and I have found the last two years especially fruitful in those discussions, there has been a lot happening in the last two years, I think it has been remarkably good not just for the United Kingdom but for Europe to know we have had such a good friend here in the White House and I think there are many people across the world who will have good cause to say thanks for the work that President Bush has done in the last four years. And I believe I speak not just for myself but for many millions when we wish him the best of futures after he leaves the White House in a few days time.

    We had not only a very enjoyable weekend, I think we had a very productive weekend. The President has set out the objectives that we discussed as far as Yugoslavia is concerned, we looked at some of the details to underpin those objectives as well, we did agree to cooperate in a resolution at the United Nations to enforce compliance with the No Fly Zone. The aim of the resolution will be to make sure we enforce the resolution previously agreed and to prevent flights taking place other than those that have been specifically authorised to do so.

    We looked also at the possible need for measures to prevent the spread of fighting into Kosovo and into Macedonia and that clearly is a matter of immense importance in the future. With that in mind we both agreed that it would be wise to press for an early increase in the number of observers in Kosovo and we also looked at the question of present and future sanctions and the present and future relationship with Serbia, we agreed that our attitude to sanctions would depend on rapid and radical change of policy by Serbia and concern that we would be ready, depending on Serbia’s response, to impose new sanctions on Serbia. The sort of things we had in mind of course were initially cutting postal and telecommunication links, but going on of course to the closing of borders if necessary, and if it proves necessary complete and total diplomatic isolation not just in the short term but making it clear to them that that would apply for a very long time indeed.

    Both of us wished to see a political settlement, the President was very sensitive to the work done by the British troops and by the UN agencies there and I am most grateful for his kind words about that this morning.

    Amongst a number of other issues we also looked at the problems that have arisen in Iraq in the last few days in the delivery of humanitarian aid by the United Nations to the Kurds in Northern Iraq. That has come to a halt temporarily as a result of the Iraqis placing bombs in a number of the trucks that were delivering that aid and we agreed that we were determined to ensure that that aid does get through to Northern Iraq and that is a matter that will have to be developed over the course of the next few days.

    So those were some, not an exclusive list, but some of the issues that we discussed this morning and I would just like to end by yet again thanking the President for the nature of these discussions and for the relationship between our two countries.

    QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

    QUESTION:

    Mr. President, would US planes be used to enforce the No Fly Zone?

    PRESIDENT BUSH:

    This is a little ahead of where we are going and we do not discuss how we are going to do things, especially before we have decided what they are going to be, so I would just have to duck that one right now.

    QUESTION:

    Is there a 15 day deadline?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I saw those stories in the press this morning about a 15 day deadline, certainly that was nothing we discussed this morning, nothing we discussed over the weekend, that is a matter that is not just for the President and for I, not just for the United States and for the United Kingdom, that is something that would have to be agreed in the Security Council resolution so I do not know where these 15 day stories come from but they have no credibility at the moment.

    QUESTION:

    Would you be prepared to see British involvement if necessary in enforcing the deadline?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We have got a lot of discussing to do before we determine how the deadline is going to be enforced. We have agreed that it is necessary to enforce the No Fly Zone, there is more than one way of doing that but we have to discuss that with a lot of other interested parties as well before we can agree the Security Council Resolution.

    QUESTION:

    What steps would be taken to protect the forces already on the ground protecting the humanitarian effort if there were to be retaliation as a result of the enforcement of the No Fly Zone?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We have always made it clear, right from the start, that we were concerned about maintaining the humanitarian assistance that is going to Sarajevo and other centres, that clearly is of critical humanitarian importance and so is the paramount importance of preserving the security of the United Nations agencies and the British and other troops that are assisting in the delivery of that humanitarian aid. So clearly that has to underpin any resolution and any progress we make and these are the matters that will be discussed further over the next few days with our colleagues and allies.

    PRESIDENT BUSH:

    May I simply add to that that on behalf of the United States we are very sensitive to the fact that the sons and daughters from other countries are serving on the ground in Sarajevo and trying to facilitate the relief in the former Yugoslavia. The United States has done a fair amount, a good amount I would say, in getting relief supplies in but when it comes to taking decisions that affect the lives of troops, I would view British soldiers the same as I would if these were United States soldiers here, we must do that, we owe them prudence in making these decisions and the fact that these are Brits serving there in no way lessens the feeling I have that we must be very careful we do not needlessly put young men and women who are there in harm’s way more than they are. And I just want to say that particularly to the parents of the young people that are wearing British uniforms in the former Yugoslavia today, they must know that that is the way the United States views these things.

    QUESTION:

    Do you anticipate any problems from Russia in terms of getting an enforcement resolution?

    PRESIDENT BUSH:

    No we do not anticipate any, as a matter of fact they have not raised it, I talked to Boris Yeltsin for 35 minutes this morning on other matters and had that been on his mind I expect he would have raised it, he is a very frank interlocutor, as the Prime Minister knows, and so I do not anticipate difficulty. But the way we avoid that is to do exactly what we are doing, the ultimate in consultations at the United Nations.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I have nothing to add on that.

    QUESTION:

    Are you ready to sign the START treaty?

    PRESIDENT BUSH:

    We discussed that and I can tell you it is not agreed totally, we have made some real progress.

    QUESTION:

    Do you have a figure of some sort for these other sanctions that you have mentioned down the line, is there something that the Serbs would do to make these happen or is it just the passage of time?

    PRESIDENT BUSH:

    The answer to your question is no, we do not have a trigger time.

    QUESTION:

    Do you want the UN resolution to stipulate that planes which violate the No Fly Zone will be shot down?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    No, I do not think that the UN resolution will stipulate anything of that sort, not in those terms. But the UN resolution is not yet decided, there is a lot of discussion, we need to get the agreement of the Security Council and others, there is some way to go before we get the resolution.

    QUESTION:

    Do you feel there is pressure to get it through quickly?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I do not think I want to put a timescale but I doubt it will be too long.

    QUESTION:

    If Mr Milosevic is elected how would that affect things?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think commenting on elections is a dangerous hazardous business, especially on the day of the election.

    PRESIDENT BUSH:

    So do I, that is a good way to end this I think, thank you all very much.

  • Mr Major’s Doorstep Interview in Washington – 18 December 1992

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s doorstep interview in Washington, held on Friday 18th December 1992.

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, what did you manage to achieve in the talks with President Bush this morning?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think they were extremely productive talks, I think the most immediate outcome of them is I believe we have put the GATT talks in Geneva back on track, there was an agreement between President Bush, President Delors and myself that we should instruct the negotiators to go back to the talks, beginning again in early January, and seek to reach a substantive conclusion by mid-January, if that can be achieved it is very good news.

    QUESTION:

    President Delors was leaving no doubt that he thinks it is the Americans who should make concessions now in services in the non-agricultural area, is that your view too?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    When you are in negotiations everyone makes concessions, that is the way one reaches agreement, I do not think one can be certain that it is the Europeans, the Cairns Group, the Americans, we are now into multilateral negotiations, not bilateral, and I think there may need to be movement on many sides. But the important thing is the sheer political will to make sure we reach a settlement, very important for the world economy, that political will has been put there today.

    QUESTION:

    How do you feel about the state of the special relationship after your telephone call with President-elect Clinton?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    The special relationship, as you call it, is a very close relationship built on shared interests and it has been there for very many years, I do not have a shred of doubt that it will continue, not a shred of doubt.

    QUESTION:

    Do you think that things will change in American foreign policy?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think one must let President-elect Clinton get his feet under the table but I think the preliminary judgment that one makes is that foreign policy will be remarkably similar in the future, there may be changes in domestic policy, I cannot speak for that, but as far as foreign policy objectives are concerned I think they will be strikingly similar.

    QUESTION:

    What about the UN Assembly decision today to step up the pressure on Yugoslavia, does that suggest that we are moving now towards tougher action?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I hope to have the opportunity of discussing that further over the weekend. I think many people will regard as unspeakable many of the things that have happened in Yugoslavia but what we must do is temper that instinctive reaction with practical measures that will assist and not damage the development of policy in Yugoslavia. I shall be discussing that over the weekend.

  • Mr Major’s Speech in Ottawa – 18 December 1992

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s speech in Ottawa made on Friday 18th December 1992.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Forty years ago, my family nearly emigrated to Canada. They did not at the last moment do so and so my first visit here has been somewhat delayed. I began to think as our plane moved from one airport to another and our car moved from one road to another that the delay might be even longer than I first imagined it to be but nonetheless, I am delighted to be here this evening and most grateful to you Brian and to you Mila for the very warm welcome we have received.

    We meet this evening in the Province of Quebec and we do so on the 200th anniversary of the first meeting of the parliaments of Lower Canada and Quebec City and I wondered when I uncovered that nugget of information what our forebears who fought over this place might have made of this meeting today. Were you to believe some of the accounts you occasionally read of European relations within the memberships of the Community, you might have thought that little has changed, that I was General Wolfe and Jacques Delors was General Montcalm. I must tell you that would be a misleading impression.

    Jacques Delors and I come here today to scale a different set of heights, a different set of heights in a different cause, partners in what we believe is a great enterprise – the building, the construction of the European Community and a new and wider Europe and as we debate from time to time the details of this directive or that piece of legislation, it is all too easy to forget what the principal aim of the Community is and all to easy to forget that the Community is unique amongst international organisations; unique in its shared framework of law among nations; unique in the way in which it has turned traditional enemies into firm friends in a matter of two or three decades; unique in the way in which it is breaking down economic and political barriers across Europe. It is a mixture, our Community, of vision and of shared self-interest.

    On this very day when you Prime Minister, George Bush and President Selinas have completed the North American Free Trade Agreement I should like to pay tribute to those same qualities which you have shown in bringing that agreement to fruition. [Applause].

    As so many times in the past, my country marches arm-in-arm in our instincts with Canada for in a fortnight’s time our Single Market in Europe will be fully open for business and since we faced the task of breaking down barriers among twelve countries, I think we too can take some small pride in that achievement.

    Both developments are welcome but there is a greater prize and both of us must continue to work together to secure the greatest free trade prize of all, a successful outcome to the Uruguay Round and a successful outcome as speedily and as comprehensively as we can get it. [Applause].

    Why do we need it? Not because of some free trade philosophy, some ideal; we need it for the most practical of all reasons, because of the boost it will bring to our economies, to the world economy at a time when that boost is sorely needed from one end of the world to the other. On both sides of the Atlantic we face similar problems, problems of recession, problems of recession leading to higher unemployment. In Canada, as in Britain, the burden of corporate debt has held back recovery. Many businesses have cut back their workforces, many people today are without work because of the depth, severity and length of that recession and yet productivity is rising sharply and that is vital to our success in today’s increasingly competitive markets, a success that can only be earned and will only be retained by those prepared to take tough decisions often unpopular at the time and often unpopular for many months after they are taken.

    In Canada, you have achieved exemplary success in controlling inflation. We too recognise the danger of that particular scourge. In Britain, we have now brought our inflation down below the European average, a dramatic change over the last two years. Our interest rates today are the lowest in Europe and even, Prime Minister, a touch today below yours.

    New growth is desirable in itself, desirable for prosperity but essential to bring unemployment down again in our countries. It will take time to reverse the trend so in Britain and at our Edinburgh Council across Europe as a whole we have announced initiatives to boost investment, reduce burdens on business and redirect government spending towards projects which will encourage long-term growth and short-term employment as that growth is built.

    These, I think, are shared instincts we have between Europe and Canada but let me say a word perhaps for a moment about Canada and the United Kingdom because your country of Canada and mine have a relationship which goes far beyond economics. We share a bond that comes from membership of the Commonwealth and from having the same Head of State. It is a deep bond, a lasting bond, an enduring bond and as we have developed a new relationship between the Community and Canada neither we the British nor for that matter the French have had to suppress our national ties of history, culture and shared interests. Indeed to the contrary, we have built upon those traditional ties and somewhere I suspect in that mix in Canada, somewhere Brian I think there has been an added ingredient – that tiny speck of Irish ingredient that may have given it perhaps a special flavour in your country. [Applause].

    We speak of ties, of shared links. I should like to say this evening to you, Brian, thank you for what you have done to strengthen those ties between Canada and Europe. I believe you can take pride in those achievements and also in the world role that Canada increasingly plays. Wherever you may look, look around as you will in the world’s trouble-spots, be it Yugoslavia, Somalia, Cambodia, you will find Canada is there and in Yugoslavia and Cambodia British forces are there alongside yours. In Somalia, our humanitarian agencies will be enabled by you and the United States to carry through their tasks and the European Community collectively is making an all-out effort to try and bring peace to the former Yugoslavia. That can only be done in partnership with others and in that partnership Canada’s role is both valued and crucial.

    So we, Britain and Canada, are partners in several enterprises. Today, Jacques Delors and I have approached Canada in a new guise, in the European Community-Canadian relationship and no European Presidency these days is complete without adding to that relationship with Canada. The strength and scope of it was very clear even in the brief discussions the President, the Prime Minister and I have been able to have since we arrived a couple of hours ago.

    I say tonight with total certainty that I confidently expect the same result in this new relationship as Britain has had over many years in all its dealings with Canada. Canada is a valued ally. More than that, Prime Minister, it is a close friend; it has been, it is and it will remain so in the future.

    You began this evening in a most agreeable way as we all await our dinner and I must say I think it is a very attractive trait to have the speeches before dinner – we will all enjoy our meal more, you will be more hungry and we will be more relaxed and we will all benefit. You began with a toast. Let me propose another, a toast I think of great importance, if you can reach for your glasses, one I propose with an immense degree of pleasure. I would like you to rise and drink to the further strengthening of cooperation between Canada and the European Community. That, Ladies and Gentlemen, is the toast – Canada and the European Community. [Applause].