The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Tag: Bosnia

  • PMQT – 21 April 1994

    Below is the text of Prime Minister’s Question Time from 21st April 1994.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Engagements

    Q1. Mr. Ward : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 April.

    The Prime Minister (Mr. John Major) : This morning, I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

    Mr. Ward : Will my right hon. Friend unreservedly condemn the continuing attacks on the civilian population of Gorazde by the Serbs, and particularly the outrageous attacks on the hospital there? Does he agree that we must have more effective action by both NATO and the United Nations to protect the UN safe areas?

    The Prime Minister : I believe that my hon. Friend speaks for most people in this country. These attacks have rightly been condemned by European, Russian and American leaders alike. NATO should help the United Nations to give stronger protection to the safe areas, and I hope that the additional troops committed to UNPROFOR and the necessary funds will be made available as soon as possible. The United Kingdom is pressing for a rapid and united NATO response to the Secretary-General’s request for further assistance. That must be based on a thorough military appraisal. We shall also be studying the proposals made by President Clinton last night ; but we must keep the objectives of a negotiated settlement clearly in view, while showing that attacks on UNPROFOR or safe areas will meet with a strong response.

    Mr. John Smith : Would it not have been much better if the Government had properly consulted the D-day veterans in the first place instead of paying £62,000 to a public relations company for what turned out to be very bad advice ?

    The Prime Minister : I am pleased that the right hon. and learned Gentleman enables me to set the record straight on what is happening. Many people will have been concerned over some of the things that they have read, and it is right to tell the House the present position.

    The first discussions with the veterans organisations, including the Royal British Legion, took place in February 1993. The main focus of the programme will be in Portsmouth and Normandy over the weekend of 4 to 6 June. The Archbishop of Canterbury will lead an open air service of remembrance attended by Heads of State and Government from the allied countries that took part in the Normandy landings. There will be similar services in Normandy the following day– [Interruption.]

    Madam Speaker : Order. The Prime Minister has been asked a question and he is answering it.

    The Prime Minister : I am aware of the great interest in the matter, and it will be of interest to the House and others if I set the record straight. There will be similar services in Normandy the following day, including services of commemoration at the British cemetery and a march past of veterans. Many veterans will be able to attend those events and other ceremonies in Normandy, Portsmouth and right across the United Kingdom. Beyond that, many hundreds of events are still being planned, but the present programme includes church services in towns and villages around the country, parades and marches past by veterans and exhibitions illustrating local involvement in the events of 50 years ago.

    Mr. John Smith : Does the Prime Minister not appreciate that the difficulties have arisen about the so-called civilian side of this anniversary? Does he accept that one way in which the Government could avoid constantly getting things so badly wrong is to consult more widely? In the case of genuinely national events, ought that not be on a cross-party basis? Will that be the approach to the VE-day anniversary next year?

    The Prime Minister : It is a genuinely national event, and a genuinely cross-party event in every sense. I hope that the right hon. and learned Gentleman and other right hon. and hon. Gentlemen will take part in the events to which I referred a moment ago. Let me explain to the right hon. and learned Gentleman and the House why there is a civilian aspect. Although his colleagues groan, that is the question that he asked. As well as commemorating the bravery and sacrifice of those who took part in the Normandy campaign, we also wish to remember the immense efforts made by the whole civilian population leading up to D-day and beyond. That is why we want the commemorations to involve all generations, including our children. I hope that the right hon. and learned Gentleman will share my concern that so few of the present generation understand precisely what happened on that occasion and the fact that we would not have the freedom of speech that we enjoy in the House but for that.

    Mr. John Smith : Bearing in mind the difficulties that have arisen over D-day, but also bearing in mind the fact that the second world war involved the sacrifice by people of all persuasions, will the right hon. Gentleman now undertake that in the planning of the VE-day anniversary there will be genuine cross-party involvement, including the involvement of all parties in this House? Can he give us that undertaking today?

    The Prime Minister : The right hon. and learned Gentleman is entirely right; it is both cross-party and non-party. Neither on this occasion nor on any future occasions will there be any partisan involvement in the celebrations. That is the right way to approach this event; it was the right way to deal with previous commemorations and it will be the right way in future. There is no difference between the right hon. and learned Gentleman and me on that point.

    Mr. Leigh : Did my right hon. Friend notice that yesterday Mr. Jacques Delors declared his intention to render worthless any concessions won by Britain on majority voting rights in the Council of Ministers; in particular, his statement that it was a political declaration not a legal text? He said that he could declare that a reasonable period had been exhausted and that it would last only for another two years, thus driving a coach and horses through any concessions we gained. Will my right hon. Friend, therefore, echo his predecessor in replying to Mr. Jacques Delors no, no, no, especially as my right hon. Friend does not have Lord Howe beside him?

    The Prime Minister : What the President of the Commission said yesterday was that the decision commits member states to act in accordance with the declaration. I can confirm to my hon. Friend that the Council decision taken as part of the Ioannina agreement is legally binding on the Council. If my hon. Friend finds that not satisfactory, he might also listen to other Foreign Ministers. For example, the German Foreign Minister said :

    “Germany itself would regard the decision as binding on the Council”.

    He had no doubt that all other member states of the Union would fully respect the procedures foreseen. That is what we will expect and that is what will happen.

     

    Q2. Mr. Gapes : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 April.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave a few moments ago.

    Mr. Gapes : In view of the serious problem in the health service in London–the cuts, the closures and the increased waiting lists–will the Prime Minister give some hope to my constituents in Ilford who face great problems at the King George hospital? Will he instruct the Secretary of State for Health today to stop immediately any further closures, cuts, reductions or staff losses throughout London?

    The Prime Minister : Since the hon. Gentleman mentions Ilford, I might just mention the capital expenditure on the Redbridge healthcare NHS trust £58 million hospital at Goodmayes, the biggest capital development in the region last year ; the work under way on the Forest healthcare NHS trust £10 million new wing for Whipps Cross hospital, and the great expansion in primary health care right across London. The hon. Gentleman is not very well informed about his own constituency.

    Dame Jill Knight : On the question of D-day, will my right hon. Friend bear in mind the fact that thousands of people outside the House believe that once we have paid tribute in dignity to the heroism of those who died, it is entirely appropriate that joy should be experienced with enthusiasm to celebrate the fact that the sacrifices made gave us deliverance from the most inhuman and wicked dictatorship that the modern world has ever known?

    The Prime Minister : I think that my hon. Friend speaks for many people when she says that after one has dealt with the specific matter of commemoration on D-day, millions of people in Britain will wish to give thanks in one form or another in some form of thanksgiving ceremony for the fact that we have the freedoms today that we take for granted.

     

    Q3. Mr. Rendel : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 April.

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

    Mr. Rendel : Will the Prime Minister confirm that his party, unlike the Liberal Democrats, believes that band for band is the best way to compare council tax levels between different authorities? Will he further confirm that on that basis Hampshire is the most efficient English county council?

    The Prime Minister : From memory, I think that Hampshire has had the biggest increases in council tax anywhere across the country. However the hon. Gentleman may care to phrase it, if he looks at matters on a like-for-like basis he will find that Conservative-controlled councils are noticeably cheaper than Liberal Democrat-controlled councils and even less expensive than Labour-controlled councils.

     

    Q4. Dr. Spink : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 April.

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

    Dr. Spink : Can my right hon. Friend tell the House when he was last asked a question on unemployment by the Leader of the Opposition? Does the length of time have something to do with the fact that unemployment has been falling month after month after month, so that there are now a quarter of a million fewer people unemployed than there were a year ago?

    The Prime Minister : It certainly is some time since the right hon. and learned Gentleman last mentioned it. I cannot be precisely sure when it was. I do not believe that he has asked such a question since his hon. Friend the Member for Dunfermline, East (Mr. Brown) said that unemployment would go up month after month after month after month.

    Mr. Clapham : Will the Prime Minister join me in condemning the blackmail tactics used by British Coal to coerce the miners at Tower colliery into accepting its closure? Is the Minister aware that, with the closure of Tower colliery, only 16 collieries are now operating under British Coal management, and the men at those collieries face an uncertain future, as do their families? Will the Prime Minister therefore tell the House today, giving a commitment to those men and their families, that he will adopt for the next four years the redundancy package that British Coal has been operating and which closes on 30 April, so that the miners at those 16 collieries will have a fall-back position if the private venture fails?

    The Prime Minister : With regard to British Coal’s decision to withdraw its closure proposal, as I understand it, the men at Tower colliery sought further discussions with the corporation at which they indicated that they did not wish to oppose the closure proposal. That is my understanding of what has happened and I am pleased that such an agreement was eventually reached.

     

    Q5. Mr. Carrington : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 April.

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

    Mr. Carrington : What action would my right hon. Friend take over a local authority that has debts of £356 million, more than Gambia, and is being sued for fraud by a bank because of its illegal activities on the money markets and the bank is demanding £20 million in compensation; a council which, through its waste and corruption has cost the council tax payers of Hammersmith and Fulham £250 each and in a local authority which has the third worst record of collecting rents in the country?

    The Prime Minister : The people of Hammersmith and Fulham will have the opportunity to make their own decisions on 5 May. In view of what my hon. Friend has said, they would be very well advised to vote for a Conservative council.

     

    Q6. Mr. Hutton : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 April.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave a few moments ago.

    Mr. Hutton : Are the biggest tax increases in modern British history that will take effect this month the result of the Government’s incompetence in handling the economy or simply their lack of honesty in dealing with the British public at the previous general election?

    The Prime Minister : The hon. Gentleman clearly has not been attending many Question Times over the past few months or he would know that the tax increases were necessary in order to get public finances in better shape, to get Government borrowing down and to ensure that we can sustain a low interest rate level which is helping us in getting back in growth. He will know that, as a result, we now have a growth pattern that is twice as high as any of our main European competitors, that we have inflation at under 3 per cent., that we have exports running at record levels, that we have a stable exchange rate and that we are poised for a long period of sustained, non-inflationary growth–a prospect which this country has sought for many years and which now lies there as a result of the policies that this Government have followed.

  • PMQT – 19 April 1994

    Below is the text of Prime Minister’s Question Time from 19th April 1994.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Engagements

    Q1. Mr. Garnier : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 19 April.

    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 be having further meetings later today.

    Mr. Garnier : During his many meetings with business leaders, has my right hon. Friend ever been asked by even one of them to introduce a minimum statutory wage?

    The Prime Minister : No, in my many meetings I have not yet been asked to introduce a statutory minimum wage, but a number of employers have expressed concern at the prospect. They believe that it would cost jobs and harm competitiveness, and I agree.

    Mr. John Smith : Given the threat of fatal catastrophe that now hangs over Gorazde and the undoubted confusion that sadly attends the efforts of the international community in Bosnia, I suggest to the right hon. Gentleman that a clear statement of future policy objectives is urgently needed. I propose that they should include a redoubling of efforts to secure a ceasefire at Gorazde ; the reaffirmation by this and other countries of their political, military and humanitarian commitment to the area ; and a clear decision by the international community to make safe areas safe, in the knowledge that the United Nations will require to be given sufficient resources to perform that task, but also in the knowledge that those safe areas may offer the only haven to the victims of a brutal civil war.

    The Prime Minister : I have a lot of sympathy with much of what the right hon. and learned Gentleman said. There is no doubt that our objectives in Bosnia have not changed. Last week’s setback in Gorazde–as my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Defence made clear to the House yesterday, it was a setback for the United Nations–does not alter the fact that we wish to secure a complete ceasefire in Bosnia. It should not be forgotten by the House or others that we have established a ceasefire between the Croat and Bosnian forces in central Bosnia as well as in Sarajevo. However, as latest events have tragically shown, the negotiators have not yet been able to extend that ceasefire elsewhere in Bosnia. At the moment, we are considering both here in the United Kingdom and with our partners precisely what needs to be done next. There will of course be meetings among NATO allies tomorrow.

    Mr. John Smith : May I press the right hon. Gentleman on the question of safe areas? Will he undertake to discuss this fully with our partners? The United Nations, having resolved to create safe areas as havens for the victims of war, should resolve to make them possible by committing itself to that purpose and by using the necessary means to achieve it–Britain’s contribution included, of course.

    The Prime Minister : As the right hon. and learned Gentleman knows, we are concerned, and have been for a long time, to secure, as far as it is practicable for us to do so, the safety of people in areas of Bosnia, in Gorazde or elsewhere. Before we make any blanket assurance, we have to consider whether the practical will, not just in the United Kingdom but in other countries as well, exists to release the resources to enable us to do that. We have to be careful before we make any practical assurances.

    Clearly, the objectives that the right hon. and learned Gentleman sets out are objectives that any sensible person would want realised ; but we have to consider what in practice can be done and whether the resources to deliver the objectives set out are likely to be available.

    Mr. Tracey : Will my right hon. Friend join me in condemning the unacceptably high levels of local council debt, particularly among councils controlled by the Opposition parties? I refer to Liverpool and Manchester and to councils in London such as Islington, whose debt amounts to £5,500 per adult in the council’s area. That adds unacceptably to the council tax. What will the Government do about it?

    The Prime Minister : My hon. Friend turns to a point that will be much in evidence during the local authority debates and during the whole local election campaign over the next few weeks. Irrespective of the equitable method of funding local authorities, there is no doubt about which local authorities, under what political control, run up substantial debts : we know that those that are in debt are Labour local authorities. We also know that those that do not adequately collect rents are Labour local authorities. I believe that many people will see the connection between the first and the second.

    Sir David Steel : Returning to the question of future policy for Bosnia, may I ask the Prime Minister to take this opportunity to make it clear that sanctions against Serbia will not be lifted and will not be open to negotiation until there is a full and secure peace settlement in Bosnia?

    The Prime Minister : We have no proposals to change the present sanctions regime, which has been in hand for some time. We have consistently said that the sanctions are in place to try to encourage people to act moderately and reasonably in the future. I have no present proposals to change them.

    Sir Ivan Lawrence : Has my right hon. Friend seen that the reported crime rate for over half the police areas in England and Wales is falling? Is not that evidence that the Government’s law and order policy is working? And is not the fact that the courts have been imposing longer sentences evidence that, by taking the worst offenders out of circulation, the Home Secretary was right to say that prison works?

    The Prime Minister : My hon. and learned Friend is right. There is no doubt about the immense public concern about crime and no doubt about the desire of all parties, in the House and elsewhere, that it should decrease. It has been most encouraging recently to note that, in a number of areas, innovative policing ideas–Bumblebee in the Metropolitan area, but operations in other areas, too–seem to have had a material effect on the crime statistics.

    The most encouraging aspect of the statistics released today is the fact that the drop in crime on a quarterly basis appears to be accelerating. These are just one year’s figures, and we must view them with a degree of caution, but the trend is certainly more attractive than any for some years.

     

    Q2. Mr. Turner : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 19 April.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Turner : In the excitement of last week’s Question Time, the Prime Minister completely failed to answer my question. May I therefore ask it again? In the aftermath of his defeat in the local and European elections, will he continue to limp along with his battle-weary Government, or will he take the honourable path and resign?

    The Prime Minister : I look forward to answering the hon. Gentleman’s questions for a long time to come.

    Mr. Cormack : Is my right hon. Friend aware that in the past few days, some 12 foreign correspondents have had their accreditation withdrawn by President Milosevic, including Sky Television’s chief correspondent, Mr. van Lynden? Is not that further evidence of the evil nature of the Serbian dictatorship and does not it show that it would be a very good thing if my right hon. Friend could meet Presidents Clinton, Mitterrand and Yeltsin at the earliest opportunity?

    The Prime Minister : I know of the expulsions that concern my hon. Friend and I deplore that restriction of press freedom. We have made the Belgrade authorities aware of our views. As for the second part of my hon. Friend’s question, I see no likelihood of an early meeting ; but I assure him that we are in very close touch with each of the Governments and Heads of Government whom he mentioned.

     

    Q3. Mr. Olner : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 19 April.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Olner : Why has not the Prime Minister properly consulted and listened to organisations such as the Royal British Legion and other veteran associations when preparing the events in commemoration of D-day?

    The Prime Minister : I think that the hon. Gentleman is mistaken. There has been a great deal of consultation and discussion; indeed, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for National Heritage met members of the Normandy Veterans Association and the Royal British Legion this morning, and–as the hon. Gentleman may or may not know–Field Marshal Lord Bramall is part of the committee discussing and organising events for D-day.

    Mr. Evennett : Will my right hon. Friend confirm that the national health service will continue to be available to all, irrespective of age or ability to pay? Will he condemn Opposition Members who are scaremongering, and worrying elderly people in particular? Is not the national health service for everyone in the country who needs health care?

    The Prime Minister : My hon. Friend is entirely correct, and many millions of patients who are treated each day can attest to that. It is undoubtedly the policy that the national health service should in no way discriminate on grounds of age in allocating treatment. It is up to the clinicians concerned, in consultation with colleagues, to decide on the appropriate course of treatment for any patient, whatever that patient’s age; but any patient, whatever his or her age, is entitled to the treatment that he or she needs under the national health service.

     

    Q4. Mr. John Evans : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 19 April.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Evans : Will the Prime Minister join me in deploring the decision of SmithKline Beecham–which made a profit of £1.22 billion last year–to close a factory that has stood in St. Helens for more than 100 years, sack 500 workers and transfer their employment to a non-union, low-pay firm in Devon? Does the right hon. Gentleman agree with me, and with the people of St Helens, that this is the unacceptable face of multinational capitalism?

    The Prime Minister : I must tell the hon. Gentleman that I have no detailed knowledge of what has happened with SmithKline Beecham, and I am disinclined to comment on any case of which I have no such knowledge.

    Mr. Day : Does my right hon. Friend agree that the greatest threat to the things that we hold dear in this country–such as social services and the national health service–comes from the growth of highly competitive economies in the Pacific basin? Do not our party and my right hon. Friend’s approach to Europe provide the only way of dealing with that competition, both for this country and for Europe in general?

    The Prime Minister : I agree with my hon. Friend. We are now operating in an increasingly competitive world. Nowadays, many parts of the world that were once readily prepared to accept British exports are manufacturing the same goods and competing with us in world markets. Unless we become as competitive as possible and keep that competitiveness, we shall lose jobs, income and influence, both economic and political.

     

    Q5. Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 19 April.

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

    Mr. Barry Jones : Will the Prime Minister give stronger backing to Britain’s manufacturing industries? Will he, for example, give help to the British steel industry in the European Union, where the German, Italian and Spanish Governments are cheating? Does he agree that Britain’s steel communities have made their sacrifice in the form of tens of thousands of redundancies and many plant closures and that now is the time for the right hon. Gentleman’s Government to back British steel?

    The Prime Minister : Let me say to the hon. Gentleman that we have raised a number of cases of suspected illegal subsidies with the Commission –the most recent being that of the bankrupt German company, Saarstahl. The Minister for Industry will raise that case again on Friday in the Industry Council in Luxembourg.

    On the more general point raised by the hon. Gentleman, we will continue to press for the fulfilment of existing commitments from the Commission and from member states to end all illegal subsidies in the steel industry. As the hon. Gentleman will know, the Commission has a formal obligation to enforce the treaty of Paris and it has undertaken to pursue actively the monitoring commitments of a number of European Community countries.

    Mr. Hayes : Will my right hon. Friend congratulate SmithKline Beecham on investing £200 million in Harlow, which is good news for this country and which will be the largest project, after the channel tunnel, in Britain?

    The Prime Minister : I see rather earlier than I expected the wisdom of not responding to the question from the hon. Member for St. Helens, North (Mr. Evans) without having the details of the case in front of me. In view of what has been said by both hon. Gentlemen, I will certainly examine the matter.

  • PMQT Written Answers – 22 March 1994

    Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 22nd March 1994.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Punjab

    Mr. Spellar : To ask the Prime Minister whether he raised the question of human rights in the Punjab with the Indian Prime Minister during his recent visit.

    The Prime Minister : I discussed human rights in India with Mr. Narasimha Rao. The main focus of our discussion on human rights was, however, Kashmir.

     

    Chief of Defence Staff

    Mr. Mullin : To ask the Prime Minister on what date he was first informed that the position of Sir Peter Harding as Chief of the Defence Staff might be compromised.

    The Prime Minister : I was first informed of the circumstances which led up to the resignation of Sir Peter Harding on Saturday 12 March.

     

    Bosnia

    Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Prime Minister if, during his visit to Bosnia he sought to establish whether British-manufactured or designed shells, and British-licensed guns, have been used offensively against Bosnian civilians and British service men in Bosnia.

    The Prime Minister : We have no evidence of British-made or British-designed weapons or ammunition being used offensively in Bosnia.

    We understand that a formerly British-owned 1942 40mm Bofors gun has been surrendered under the ceasefire arrangements in central Bosnia.

     

    Engagements

    Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 22 March.

    The Prime Minister : This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House I shall be having further meetings later today.

    Sir Peter Tapsell : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 22 March.

    The Prime Minister : This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House I shall be having further meetings later today.

     

    Second World War Commemorations

    Sir Jim Spicer : To ask the Prime Minister whether he intends to invite German representation at the events commemorating the end of the second world war.

    The Prime Minister : The commemoration in Britain on 7 May 1995 of the end of the second world war will be the occasion to celebrate the 50 years of peace and reconciliation we have enjoyed since 1945. During that time we have developed extremely close relations with our allies and partners in Germany. We very much hope Germany will play a full part and be represented at a high level in the 1995 commemorations, for which planning is now in hand.

    The focus of the 1995 commemorations will be :

    a service in St. Paul’s;

    a parade in central London; and

    a lunch or dinner for the Heads of State or Government who attend.

    In addition we hope to arrange a variety of events throughout the country designed to build on the theme of reconciliation.

     

    Parliamentary Questions

    Mr. Redmond : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list for the last 12 months how many parliamentary questions he has referred to the Cabinet Office for answer; and what percentage of parliamentary questions to him this represents.

    The Prime Minister : In the past 12 months approximately 3 per cent. of my written parliamentary questions were referred to the Cabinet Office for answer.

     

    Council of Europe

    Sir Russell Johnston : To ask the Prime Minister whether he has replied to the letter from the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Catherine Lalumiere, concerning participation in the Council of Europe’s campaign against racism, xenophobia, anti-semitism and intolerance; and if he will make a statement.

    The Prime Minister : As far as I am aware I have not received such a letter, but I understand that Mrs. Lalumiere has written to the Lord Chancellor who will be replying shortly.

  • PMQT – 3 March 1994

    Below is the text of Prime Minister’s Question Time from 3rd March 1994.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Kashmir

    Q1. Mr. Cox : To ask the Prime Minister how many independent observers have been allowed by the Indian authorities to visit the Indian occupied area of Kashmir since his visit last year.

    The Prime Minister (Mr. John Major) : A number of independent observers have visited Kashmir since January 1993. They include parliamentarians, jurists, diplomats, journalists and human rights groups. The Indian Government have also recently agreed to a visit by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

    Mr. Cox : I note that reply. Is the Prime Minister aware, however, that the Indian Government are reluctant to allow independent observers to visit the occupied area? Indeed, they refused to allow an all-party group from the House to go there.

    Is the Prime Minister aware that the forthcoming visit of the Indian Prime Minister gives him an opportunity to make known to that gentleman the deep revulsion felt by many hon. Members about the on-going attacks and brutality perpetrated by the Indian security forces against men, women and children in occupied Kashmir? Will the right hon. Gentleman assure the House that he will make that known?

    The Prime Minister : I look forward to Prime Minister Rao’s visit to this country. We have excellent relations with the Indian Government, and I look forward to discussing a range of matters with him. As for access for independent national groups, we have encouraged the Indian Government to allow independent access to India. There have been steps towards greater openness in recent months, and I thoroughly welcome that.

    Mr. Jessel : Is this not just one more attempt by Opposition Members to wreck Britain’s excellent relationship with a most friendly Commonwealth country? Will my right hon. Friend not only welcome India’s own decision to set up a human rights commission but remind all the independent observers that terrorists are murderers, and that the most important human right is the right to stay alive?

    The Prime Minister : As my hon. Friend says, we have an excellent relationship with the Indian Government, both politically and in terms of a greatly increased flow of two-way trade with India. As for my hon. Friend’s second point, I think that we shall soon have a report from the Indian human rights commission, and I look forward to that. I understand that it will deal with a wide range of issues that have been drawn to the commission’s attention.

     

    Engagements

    Q2. Mr. O’Hara : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 3 March.

    The Prime Minister : This morning, I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

    Mr. O’Hara : Does the Prime Minister share the President of the Board of Trade’s low opinion of the legal advice offered by the Attorney- General?

    The Prime Minister : That is not the position of my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade.

    Mr. Thurnham : Does my right hon. Friend welcome the news that nearly 2 million North Western electricity board–NORWEB–customers are to benefit from a 6 per cent. cut in the price of their electricity from 1 April? Coming on top of a cut of nearly 2 per cent. last summer, does that not prove that privatisation works?

    The Prime Minister : I believe that that is certainly the case. There have been significant reductions in fuel prices in recent years, and I welcome that.

    Mr. John Smith : Madam Speaker– [Interruption.]

    Madam Speaker : Order. What a total waste of valuable time in Prime Minister’s questions.

    Mr. John Smith : Concerning the excessive pay awards of top executives, does the Prime Minister agree with the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s comments today, or does he maintain his own response of a few weeks ago, that it is not a matter for him?

    The Prime Minister : I set out in the House, from memory, to the former right hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and, before that, to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Sparkbrook (Mr. Hattersley), my view that excessive pay awards are not justified. I equally maintain the point that that is a matter between employer and employee or company and management rather than a matter for the Government, but my personal view remains as first set out in the House to the right hon. Member for Sparkbrook in 1991.

    Mr. John Smith : The Prime Minister has clearly said contradictory things, because he told us that it was not a matter for him. Whatever he says, does he not notice that those top executives do not pay a blind bit of notice? They carry on regardless, relentlessly increasing their pay and their perks. At the same time, pay restraint is imposed on millions of people with modest incomes. Is that not inconsistent, unfair and hypocritical?

    The Prime Minister : My right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor and I have said precisely the same thing on that issue and, as I indicated to the right hon. and learned Gentleman and he might have the grace to acknowledge, I first said it in 1991.

    Mr. John Smith : Does not the Prime Minister yet appreciate the anger felt throughout the country at massive pay increases for top people occurring at the same time as massive tax increases for the rest of the country? Why are the Government so soft and indulgent on the very rich but hard and unfair on everyone else?

    The Prime Minister : As the right hon. and learned Gentleman has returned to the same point three times after having two answers, I will now quote to him what I said to the right hon. Member for Sparkbrook in 1991 :

    “I made it perfectly clear when I was Chief Secretary that I do not believe that excessive salary increases are right.”–[ Official Report , 1991 ; Vol. 193, c. 857.]

    That still remains my view. [Interruption.] For the hon. Gentleman who shouts, “What are you going to do about it?” may I say that this happens to be a free capitalist country, in which companies determine their wages. I take it from this that the right hon. and learned Gentleman would himself interfere with companies in the payment of employees and the payment of management by the companies themselves. If that is so, it blows out of the water any of the Labour party’s modernising ideas of understanding free enterprise.

    Mr. Churchill : Is my right hon. Friend aware that last week’s sacking of 7,000 British soldiers from the Army is deeply regrettable, and indeed mistaken, bearing in mind that the British commander of the UN force in Bosnia has now repeated three times his request for more troops? Can my right hon. Friend now give a positive response to that request by a British general in the field?

    The Prime Minister : As my hon. Friend knows, we set out the position in “Options for Change” some time ago and the redundancies that were announced–

    Mr. Churchill indicated dissent.

    The Prime Minister : My hon. Friend may shake his head, but it happens to be a matter of fact and record. We set out the decisions on “Options for Change”, and this measure implemented that decision, taken some time ago.

    As for the request for troops in Bosnia, my hon. Friend will know that we have a significant contingent already in Bosnia, who have done magnificent work. If a request is made to the United Kingdom, we would of course consider providing more forces proportionately as part of a wider international effort.

    Mr. Ashdown : May we take it from that answer that our Prime Minister and our Government really are prepared to let go to waste the peace that has been obtained by General Rose in Sarajevo during the past two weeks, rather than this country backing a request, made by a British general and supported by his own chiefs of staff, for more troops to ensure that that peace succeeds?

    The Prime Minister : The right hon. Gentleman yet again mistakes the position. It was the British Government who moved troops in to Sarajevo to ensure that the peace negotiated by General Rose and the corralling of weapons brought about by General Rose was able to be properly monitored. For once, the right hon. Gentleman might have the grace to acknowledge what we have done rather than carp and criticise inaccurately.

    Mr. French : Does my right hon. Friend agree that, if the British economy is to remain competitive in the future, it is essential that our children are trained now in the skills that they will require in the 21st century? Will he therefore join me in welcoming the announcement of the 12 technology schools, one of which is in my constituency and one of which I attended?

    The Prime Minister : My hon. Friend is right in his diagnosis. We certainly face greater competition in the years ahead and we will certainly need greater skills. One of the ways of obtaining them is the greater diversity in education brought about by the new technology colleges. I hope that many other schools and businesses will follow the lead set by those colleges.

     

    Q3. Dr. Wright : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 3 March.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave some moments ago.

    Dr. Wright : In the light of the Prime Minister’s emphasis on the importance of personal responsibility, does he welcome the clear statement from the Chancellor of the Exchequer that he will resign if his conduct is criticised by Lord Justice Scott’s report ? Will the Prime Minister make an equally clear statement and will he expect the same of other Ministers?

    The Prime Minister : I have said repeatedly that I propose to make no comment on Lord Justice Scott’s report. I propose to make no comment of any sort on Lord Justice Scott’s report until he has reported. I set up that report and I gave it very wide terms of reference. I have assured Lord Justice Scott– [Interruption.]

    Madam Speaker : Order.

    The Prime Minister : I am grateful– [Interruption.]

    Madam Speaker : Order. Ms Armstrong.

    The Prime Minister : I am grateful to you, Madam Speaker. I have assured Lord Justice Scott that he will have the power and authority that he needs to complete his report satisfactorily, and I believe it follows from that that I should make no comment until I have that report.

     

    Q4. Mr. Anthony Coombs : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 3 March.

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

    Mr. Coombs : Does my right hon. Friend welcome recent surveys which show that council tax bills this year will rise less than the rate of inflation? Does he agree that the revenue support grant settlement was correct in estimating needs for local councils, and is not that in stark contrast to the waste, inefficiency and nepotism of many Labour-controlled councils, especially that in the constituency of the Leader of the Opposition?

    The Prime Minister : I believe that the news that council tax bills are on average likely to rise less than the rate of inflation is very welcome indeed and I believe that it shows that the local government settlement was very finely judged. That is, of course, very different from what was said by the hon. Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw) who predicted at the time that the council tax would rise by four times the level of inflation. Clearly, he was scaremongering or wrong, or both.

    Mr. Galloway : Does the Prime Minister have a message for Nabil Shaath, the chief Palestinian negotiator, who is in Parliament this afternoon? In view of the fact that, since last Friday’s massacre in Hebron, the Israeli army has shot down more people than were shot by the murderer in the mosque, will the Prime Minister support a protection force made up from the United Nations or at least the co-sponsors of the peace process to protect the Palestinians under illegal Israeli occupation?

    The Prime Minister : I think that violence from any source in that powder keg of the middle east is to be regretted, whether it comes from the dreadful massacre at Hebron or any other source. There are some United Nations observers there and I believe that they are doing an extremely good job. I had the opportunity of discussing that with the Secretary-General just the other day. What would be most helpful would be if, as soon as it seemed politically practicable, the two sides were to sit down again and continue with the negotiations that have made more progress in the past 18 months than for many years past. I believe that everyone wishes to see a comprehensive peace settlement that will enable the people who live there to live a decent, civilised and safe life.

     

    Q5. Sir John Hannam : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 3 March.

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

    Sir John Hannam : During his visit to the United States, and remembering his excellent record as a former Minister with responsibility for the disabled, did my right hon. Friend observe the remarkable increase in the number of disabled people in America who are now attaining full, normal employment as a result of President Bush’s anti-discrimination legislation? Will my right hon. Friend support our efforts in the House further to remove the barriers facing disabled people?

    The Prime Minister : I share my hon. Friend’s desire to end discrimination against disabled people. I have asked my right hon. Friend the Minister for Social Security and Disabled People to identify further practicable and affordable ways to combat discrimination. There is much that may be done and I have asked my right hon. Friend to examine that matter.

  • PMQT – 1 March 1994

    Below is the text of Prime Minister’s Question Time from 1st March 1994. Tony Newton responded on behalf of John Major.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Engagements

    Q1. Mr. Mudie : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 1 March.

    The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Tony Newton) : I have been asked to reply.

    My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is in the United States for a series of meetings, including some with President Clinton and the United Nations Secretary-General.

    Mr. Mudie : Is the Lord President aware that more than £1 billion of taxpayers’ money spent to persuade people to take out personal pensions ended up in the pockets of salesmen through commissions? Is he also aware that more than 300,000 men and women are losing benefit because of bad advice? Given that growing scandal, is not there a case for urgent Government action, or is this, once again, something for which the Government will take no responsibility?

    Mr. Newton : I do not regard the fact that some 5 million people have taken out personal pensions, which will significantly improve their prospects in retirement, as anything like a scandal. The hon. Gentleman will know that some of the advice that has been given is currently under examination, which is entirely right. I know of no reason to justify his accusation.

     

    Q2. Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 1 March.

    Mr. Newton : I have been asked to reply.

    I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Greenway : Will my right hon. Friend join me in welcoming the obvious success of the Prime Minister’s visit to the United States? Does he recall that Sir Winston Churchill variously described the temperature of our special relationship with the United States as normal and blazing? What is the temperature now?

    Mr. Newton : I can best describe the relationship as very cordial indeed. It is a long-standing relationship based on shared interests, as has been confirmed at a joint press conference which my right hon. Friend and the President held within the past hour or so. Their discussions have covered a wide range of international issues, including Bosnia, Russia and the world economy. The President’s support for the joint declaration on Northern Ireland was particularly welcome. The visit is confirmation that we have a continuing, strong, all-round relationship with the United States.

    Mrs. Beckett : When the President of the Board of Trade has need of legal advice, to whom does the Leader of the House suggest he turns?

    Mr. Newton : My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has been advised, quite properly, by my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General and made the position entirely clear in his evidence to the Scott inquiry yesterday.

    Mrs. Beckett : Is not the position of the Attorney-General as the Government’s chief legal adviser becoming increasingly untenable as Ministers seem to use him as a scapegoat to save their own skins?

    Mr. Newton : The concern of my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade was clearly an anxiety that people might misrepresent him in exactly the way that the right hon. Lady is now seeking to do. My right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General’s advice on public interest immunity has remained consistent and, of course, he is due to give evidence to the inquiry.

    Mrs. Beckett : Does not the Leader of the House realise that what sticks in the throat of the British public is that, having secretly sold arms to Saddam Hussein, which were used against British troops, Ministers were prepared to see innocent men go to gaol to cover up their conspiracy and that is what people cannot stomach?

    Mr. Newton : Let me remind the right hon. Lady what was written in a letter to The Times as long ago as 12 November 1992 :

    “Public interest immunity cannot be waived by either the prosecution or the Ministers. It was for the judge to decide whether the interests of justice in ensuring a fair trial for the defendants outweighed those considerations of public interests referred to in the certificates. There was no question of anyone attempting to suppress evidence”.

    That letter was written by counsel for one of the accused.

    Mrs. Peacock : Will my right hon. Friend join me in welcoming the Department of Health action on safari holidays for young offenders?

    Mr. Newton : Yes, indeed I shall. There is a widespread view that those overseas trips were inappropriate. We are all concerned to see effective, proper treatment and deterrents for young offenders and the statement this afternoon will help bring that about.

     

    Q3. Mr. Janner : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 1 March.

    Mr. Newton : I have been asked to reply.

    I refer the hon. and learned Gentleman to the answer I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Janner : When the Prime Minister returns from his visit to the United States, will he be kind enough to look personally into the case of my constituent Paul Kenney, who did not return from his journey to Portugal, but was found dead on a beach? Will he please consult his colleague the Prime Minister of Portugal, who has not had the common decency to tell the parents, or me as their representative, why this lad died, how he died, whether he was murdered or why the parents could not find the body for a month? If the right hon. Gentleman agrees that it is the Government’s duty to look after ordinary citizens when they travel abroad, will he please start raising merry hell about this case?

    Mr. Newton : I am conscious of the hon. Gentleman’s understandable concern for his late constituent and I have of course looked at the Adjournment debate he had not long ago. I am happy to tell the hon. Gentleman that during his visit to Portugal on 24 and 25 February, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised the case with the Portuguese Foreign Minister and I hope that that was helpful.

    Sir Roger Moate : Will my right hon. Friend and the Prime Minister, and the Foreign Secretary, personally do their utmost to ensure the success of the negotiations, which are at a critical point, on Norwegian entry into the European Community? Does my right hon. Friend agree that it would be quite outrageous if the unreasonable demand by the Spanish Government for a few thousand tonnes of Norwegian cod were to prevent the entry into the Community of one of our closest friends and a fine European country?

    Mr. Newton : My hon. Friend knows very well that it has been a prime objective of the British Government to bring about enlargement of the Community and the progress that has been made is one of our significant achievements over the past couple of years. On some reports I have seen today, progress has been rather greater so far in respect of Sweden and Finland ; apparently, there remains some way to go, but we shall wish to see negotiations with all four applicants successfully negotiated.

     

    Q4. Mr. Gunnell : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 1 March.

    Mr. Newton : I have been asked to reply.

    I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Gunnell : The right hon. and noble Baroness Thatcher missed one Prime Minister’s Question Time in 12 ; the present Prime Minister has missed one in eight. Whatever the importance of the present visit, does not that frequent absence devalue his accountability to the House? Why is he more anxious to answer questions in Pittsburgh than in Parliament?

    Mr. Newton : I must say to the hon. Gentleman, whom I usually regard as among the more reasonable of those on the Opposition Benches, that I reject out of hand the suggestion that he has made. I think that my right hon. Friend’s achievement in various international negotiations both in Europe and on the wider scene are among the main achievements that he has put forward on behalf of the Government.

    Mr. Garnier : While my right hon. Friend is in the United States, will he be given an opportunity to tell the people, as opposed to the President of the United States, of the true nature, history and habits of the IRA?

    Mr. Newton : I have already referred to the very welcome support of the President for the joint declaration. I hope that that in itself will have an effect on some strands of opinion in the United States which may perhaps have failed to appreciate the true nature of the IRA.

     

    Q5. Mr. Mandelson : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 1 March.

    Mr. Newton : I have been asked to reply.

    I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Mandelson : Does the Lord President of the Council agree that, with unemployment still up around the 3 million level, with many young and long-term unemployed in that number, jobs remain the biggest single issue facing the country? In the light of that, will the Lord President of the Council respond positively to the important initiative taken today by the Trades Union Congress to work in co-operation with all political parties on policies to get unemployment down?

    Mr. Newton : I welcome any kind of co-operation by the TUC or, indeed, anybody else, in the interests of maintaining the recovery from recession, which is the secure basis for the jobs that the hon. Gentleman wants to see. If I may say so, it will not be served by the Labour party’s support for a minimum wage, a 35-hour week and many new burdens on business.

     

    Q6. Lady Olga Maitland : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 1 March.

    Mr. Newton : I have been asked to reply.

    I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave some moments ago.

    Lady Olga Maitland : May I convey to my right hon. Friend the House’s full support for the Downing street declaration on Northern Ireland? Has my right hon. Friend been able to take note of the survey that took place over the weekend in the Irish Republic which showed that the vast majority of the people there call on the IRA-Sinn Fein to renounce violence?

    Mr. Newton : I do very much agree with my hon. Friend and am grateful for her words. As she knows, the Government are making every effort to seek peace in Northern Ireland. It is heartening to note that some 94 per cent. of people questioned in the Irish marketing survey agreed with calls on the IRA and Sinn Fein to renounce violence. I am sure that that corresponds with the overwhelming wish in this country and, indeed, many others. I hope that their leaders will take note.

     

    Q7. Mr. John Evans : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 1 March.

    Mr. Newton : I have been asked to reply.

    I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Evans : Is the Lord President of the Council aware that if the highly efficient borough of St. Helens received the same level of revenue support grant as the boroughs of Wandsworth and Westminster it would not be required to charge its citizens one single penny in council tax? Does he feel that there might be a whiff of scandal and corruption in that?

    Mr. Newton : No, I do not.

    Mr. Fabricant : While condemning the appalling massacre in Hebron, does my right hon. Friend agree with me that that was the work of a lone madman and that, for the sake of the 300 million people who live in that area, it should not in any way impede the peace process?

    Mr. Newton : Like, I am sure, everyone on both sides of the House, I share the horror at the massacre of innocent Palestinians in Hebron on 25 February. I am sure that the whole House would once again want to send its condolences to those who were affected and their families. I accept entirely and agree with my hon. Friend that the massacre must not be allowed to jeopardise the peace process. The British Government will certainly do everything that they can to see that it does not.

     

    Q8. Mr. Jim Cunningham : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 1 March.

    Mr. Newton : I have been asked to reply.

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Cunningham : Does the Lord President recall that, referring to the setting up of the Scott inquiry, the Prime Minister said that no restrictions would be placed on its terms of reference? Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that ex-employees of Matrix Churchill and their representatives have been denied the right to give evidence to the inquiry, and that Lord Justice Scott has said that he will consider the matter if the Government and the Prime Minister agree? What is the Lord President going to do about it?

    Mr. Newton : I think that it is generally true to say that the procedures of the inquiry are for Lord Justice Scott to consider and operate. Obviously, if there were perceived to be problems and if representations were made to the Government about difficulties that they could do something about, those difficulties would be considered extremely carefully.

     

    Q9. Mr. Riddick : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 1 March.

    Mr. Newton : I have been asked to reply.

    I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Riddick : Is my right hon. Friend aware of any Government Department that hands out special green forms to job applicants who are related to politicians–forms that receive preferential treatment–and pink forms to everyone else? Is he aware that that disgraceful form of nepotism is being practised by Labour-controlled Monklands council? Will he join me in urging condemnation of the practice by the local Member of Parliament–the Leader of the Opposition, who has been strangely silent on the subject?

    Mr. Newton : My hon. Friend may feel surprised that his question has been reached. He has raised a very interesting point; I might speculate that the absence of the right hon. and learned Member for Monklands, East (Mr. Smith) arose from nervousness that the question might be reached.

  • Mr Major’s Doorstep Interview after meeting with the UN Secretary General – 1 March 1994

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s doorstep interview after the meeting with the UN Secretary General, Mr Boutros Boutros Ghali, held in New York on Tuesday 1st March 1994.

    PRESIDENT CLINTON:

    I have had an extremely worthwhile hour with the Secretary General, we touched on a range of different subjects, we spent some time on Bosnia, to which I would like to return in just a moment if I may, also South Africa, Cyprus and the Middle East peace process.

    If I could go back to the question of Bosnia, I think many of you may know that the United States and the United Kingdom announced this morning that we would be sending a team to Sarajevo to look at the situation on the ground and determine what practical assistance might be needed to help return the town to normal, that team will be despatched very speedily, within 2 or 3 days, and I hope they will return with a much clearer indication of the assistance that is actually needed there.

    What I have been discussing with the Secretary General over the last hour, amongst other things, is the possibility of establishing a United Nations fund for the relief of Sarajevo to which anybody would be invited to contribute to, both those who are already making a practical contribution to solving the problems in Bosnia and those who as yet have been unable to do so. And that is a matter we were able to discuss over the last hour or so.

    We discussed also South Africa and the rather hopeful signs that have emerged from the meeting between Mr Mandela and Chief Butholezi this afternoon, those, together with discussions about the Middle East peace process and the developments in Cyprus. If I could just say a word or two about Cyprus, we have indicated again our willingness to assist in ensuring that the confidence building measures are successful and I was delighted with the pro-active role that the United Nations are taking to bring the two sides together and see if we can find a settlement to this very long standing and hitherto intractable dispute. So a very worthwhile meeting and I look forward to seeing the Secretary General again I hope in the not too distant future in London.

    QUESTION:

    [Indistinct] sending any troops to Bosnia after General Rose’s request?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I have not seen the details of what General Rose said, we have a significant number of troops in Bosnia at the moment, that is not a matter I have been discussing this afternoon with the Secretary General.

    QUESTION:

    On Hong Kong, do you have any thoughts about the possible souring of relations between Britain and China if the Hong Kong situation continues to simmer?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We are seeking to find a way through in Hong Kong that will enable us to proceed with the democratic reforms. The Governor of Hong Kong has passed the first phase of the democratic reforms through LEGCO, he has laid the legislation to the second phase in front of LEGOO, But we are perfectly prepared to continue to discuss the whole circumstances in Hong Kong with the Chinese and I hope we can continue to do so amiably.

    QUESTION:

    Did you discuss the Russian involvement in Bosnia?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think the Russian involvement in Bosnia is a thoroughly helpful process, I have seen the reported details of the discussion in Moscow today, I have not had proper confirmation of it yet but from what I hear it sounds very promising. I think it is very desirable for the Russians to become involved diplomatically and to use the pressure that they have to help bring about a settlement in Bosnia.

    QUESTION:

    [Indistinct] resolution here that Britain and France are considering?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    That is under discussion at the moment, I think the news from Tuzla this afternoon was very helpful but quite what will happen with the resolution at the moment is unclear.

    QUESTION:

    As far as the Middle East is concerned in your discussions, did you discuss an international presence in the occupied territories?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Yes, well there is a small UN presence there and we did talk about that, we did not go on to address the question of whether there should be more and if so from where, we did not discuss that this afternoon.

    QUESTION:

    Do you think that the international community should send troops or a military observer or civilian observers?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think there are some UN observers there and I think they are doing a very good job, whether there requires to be more is a matter for the Secretary General to consider and I am sure he will do so.

    QUESTION:

    [Inaudible].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    No, the British and the Americans, it is a very practical measure. What we are doing is just sending in a team of experts to actually have a look at what the situation is like on the ground in Sarajevo and what needs to be done to improve the quality of life and in particular return the utilities back to full operation in Sarajevo. They will come back and report, when they have reported the implication is that both the United States and Britain will contribute towards meeting the difficulties that are apparent there and we will invite other people to do so as well. What I have just been discussing with the Secretary General, since this may be a substantial undertaking, is the prospect of the United Nations itself establishing a fund so that anyone may contribute resources, cash or kind perhaps, towards solving the problem in Sarajevo.

    QUESTION:

    Has the Attorney General been in touch [indistinct].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    No, I do not discuss those matters with the Secretary General.

  • Mr Major’s Arrival Statement with President Clinton – 28 February 1994

    Below is Mr Major’s arrival statement in Pittsburgh, with the US President Bill Clinton, on Monday 28th February 1994.

    PRESIDENT CLINTON:

    Thank you very much, Senator Wofford, Congressman Coyne, Mayor Murphy, Commissioners Foster and Flaherty and my friends, I am glad to be back in Pittsburgh and I want to thank the band for their wonderful music and the scouts for your fine salute and your fine work, thank you, and I want you to join me in welcoming Prime Minister John Major back to the United States of America. [Applause].

    You know, it is funny how this trip came about. Last July, in Tokyo of all places, John Major and I were sitting around at night talking and he said: “You know, my grandfather worked in the steel mills at Pittsburgh and my father lived and worked there a while in the late 1800s before moving back to England!” so I thought the next time John Major came to the United States he ought to see America and come to Pittsburgh. [Applause].

    I want to emphasise to all of you here in the heartland of America how important the relationship between the United States and Great Britain is. We work together to support reform in the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War, in Russia and in all those other former communist states to try to give democracy a chance. We work together for a new world trade agreement, to bring down trade barriers and open world markets to the products that American workers make. We work together to make NATO stronger and more adaptable, to reach out to all those nations in the former communist world and give them a chance to work with us to unify Europe in peace and democracy in ways that will make America a safer and more prosperous place for decades to come. We are working together today to respond to the terrible tragedy in Bosnia, to try to bring an end to the killing and to bring peace and to keep that conflict from spreading in ways that could threaten the interests of the United States and Great Britain as well as the conscience of the civilised world. [Applause].

    We do have a great partnership as Senator Wofford noted right here in Pittsburgh between British Air and US Air [Applause]; it has been a good thing for the people of this town. Tomorrow, we will have a chance to talk about that and talk about some of the other tough issues that we face: the state of reform in Russia; the Prime Minister and I have both been in Moscow in the last couple of months. A struggle over the future of reform in Russia is under way, we have a vital stake in the outcome. We have to continue to encourage democracy, respect for neighbours and real economic reform in that country, it is in your interests and mine.

    We also hope we can continue to press for peace in Bosnia. Britain is the second-largest contributor to the United Nations troop effort in Bosnia and over the last years I want to say to all of you that the British have saved thousands of innocent civilians’ lives there by their presence. [Applause]. We intend to continue working with them until we get a just and fair peace in Bosnia.

    We are going to discuss what we want to do with NATO, we are going to discuss the political courage and the vision shown by Prime Minister Major and Prime Minister Reynolds of Ireland in working for peace in Northern Ireland together. [Applause]. Their historic Joint Declaration offers new hope for that goal of peace and as the President of this country, a country full of Americans of British descent and full of Americans of Irish descent, I again urge an end to the use of violence as a means of solving political problems and achieving political aims – it has no place in that effort. [Applause].

    The next time I see John Major after this trip I will be visiting Britain in June to commemorate the 50th anniversary of D-Day and to affirm for a new generation of Britons and Americans the importance of our enduring partnership. We must continue to build on it economically, politically, strategically. We have benefited immensely from our ties to Britain and they have benefited from their ties to us. we are working together in ways that I think will benefit children in this audience. The agreement on world trade concluded at the end of last year is perhaps the most concrete recent example of what we are trying to do for future generations.

    In the months and years ahead, we will have to continue to work on our issues of common concern. Not very long from now, we are going to have a jobs conference with Great Britain and other European powers in Detroit to discuss the difficulties that the United States and all the powers of Europe and Japan are all having in creating new jobs in this difficult global environment and what things we can learn from each other to create more opportunities for all of our people.

    Now I am going to introduce the Prime Minister and say after he speaks we are going to look around Pittsburgh. [Applause]. When John Major’s father and grandfather were here, this city was the heart of America’s industrial might. Today, it is the centre of its high technology and economic innovation; it is a city of the future as well as a city of the past [Applause] and so in the spirit of renewal that is the story of Pittsburgh today, I ask you to join me in reaffirming the bonds between the American and the British people in welcoming to the microphone the Prime Minister of Great Britain, John Major. [Applause].

    PRIME MINISTER JOHN MAJOR:

    Mr. President, Mr. Senator, Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen:

    The President told you most of the story of how I came to be here this evening. It is perfectly true that we were discussing the matter at the G7 summit in Tokyo late at night, we were relaxed. The conversation went pretty much as the President said but think the critical factor he didn’t mention was that it was the second whisky that did it [Laughter] and I am jolly glad we had it because I am delighted to be here. [Applause].

    “Come and have a look at a bit of Pittsburgh!” said the President, “Come and see a bit of real America!” and here I am. [Applause]. It may be my first time here but Pittsburgh way back from its inception has had some pretty close connections with the British, Indeed, its very name after one of our greatest prime ministers is the clearest possible illustration of the longstanding relationship between my nation and your nation. And then of course, as the President said, as the Senator said, there is this remarkable airport, a pioneering retail operation managed by the British Airports Authority and a relationship that has worked extremely well.

    The President mentioned some personal connections. I know those only by family repute, the stories that have come down from my grandfather through my father to my brother and my sister and myself as small children many years ago, stories of how my father remembers my grandfather being here working in the Carnegie steel plant way back in the 1860s and 1870s and how my father spent a period of his youth here. Heaven alone knows where. He spoke of the place with great affection but he didn’t indicate precisely where it was.
    More recently in those connections between Pittsburgh and the United Kingdom I would like to express my thanks to the remarkable surgeons, doctors and nurses of the Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital. [Applause]. Not all that long ago, they treated a sick young English child in a way that no other hospital around the world could have done and I have to say to you when they did that they caught the heart of my nation and they haven’t let go of it since. [Applause].

    So this seems to me a pretty fitting place for our discussions this evening and then on our way back to the White House later on this evening. There is a lot to discuss. I won’t reiterate the agenda that the President set out. There is a great deal of common interest that exists between our two countries and a great deal that we will wish to talk about that will affect our future, your future and the future of people in other countries around the world; a huge array of business and personal contacts that bind the British and the American people together.

    The President spoke of Bosnia. We are agreed on Bosnia that firm action is right and we will be looking to see how we can increase the pressure for the peace that every sensible person wishes to see in that war-torn and troubled land [Applause] and we will be looking to see what we can do to try and play our part in ensuring that Russia is able to carry its reform programme forward. A Russia that is a good neighbour to the United States and the West would be one of the finest things that this generation could hand down to the next and something that we all care passionately about achieving.

    Earlier today, we sent a joint message to South Africa, to Nelson Mandela and Chief Buthelezi who are holding a crucial meeting tomorrow that may have great importance as the South Africans move towards their first multi-racial elections [Applause] and I think we might spend a bit of time talking as well about how to open up world trade even further and even faster because that is what is going to improve your living standards, the living standards of my people back home and other people all around the world. [Applause].

    So although I am looking forward first to seeing just a bit of your great city, we have got a lot to discuss tonight and a lot to discuss tomorrow and when we finish it, I will be able to look forward to my next meeting with the President at Chequers and perhaps at Oxford and certainly in the United Kingdom for the D-Day celebration in the middle of the year. I can tell you that when he comes over to the United Kingdom the President of the United States will be very welcome indeed. I look forward to returning the hospitality that you are giving me this evening. [Applause].

  • Mr Major’s Comments on Bosnia – 28 February 1994

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s comments on Bosnia, made during an interview given in Washington on Monday 28th February 1994.

    QUESTION:

    [Mr Major was asked about the situation in Bosnia and the shooting down of planes].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    The No-Fly-Zone Security Council Resolution has been there for a year. At any stage in the last year, if this sort of infraction had occurred those planes could have been expected to have been shot down. On this occasion, so far as one can tell from the early reports, it is a fairly clear-cut case; the planes were where they ought not to be, were there with ill-intent, they were given a warning, they ignored the warning and then they were shot down so they ought to have been in no doubt about how they would be treated.

    QUESTION:

    [Mr Major was asked if Russia agreed with the military intervention].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    It seems so certainly but then it is a Security Council Resolution to which they would have subscribed.

    QUESTION:

    [Mr Major was asked why the Serbs had taken aggressive action].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    It does seem almost inexplicable, it seems to be rather an odd thing for them to have done. I can’t make a judgement as to why they did it but why ever they did it they were there, they were there for ill-intent, they could well have attacked people, they could well have attacked the arms dump that was there and it was necessary to deal with the problem. That is what happened but as to why they did it, I have no more knowledge of that than you.

    QUESTION:

    [Mr Major was asked if he fully support the military intervention].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I have complete support for the action. The Security Council Resolution was quite clear and perhaps this will serve to warn people that Security Council Resolutions are important; not only are they important, people expect them to be obeyed and if they are not obeyed certain consequences will follow.

    QUESTION:

    [Mr Major was asked if his visit to the United States was one of reconciliation].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I read this report of it being a visit of reconciliation but that is not as I see it and I don’t think that is how the President sees it either. I think the talk of breach and difference is wildly overdone. We have a whole range of things to discuss, Bosnia, Russia, a whole range of other foreign policy and economic matters and that is what I am here for.

  • Mr Major’s Joint Doorstep Interview with Vice-President Al Gore – 28 February 1994

    Below is Mr Major’s joint doorstep interview with Vice-President Al Gore in Washington on 28th February 1994.

    QUESTION:

    What did you think of the shooting down of four planes in Bosnia?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I expressed what I thought a little earlier and I may do later but not now.

    QUESTION:

    Mr. Prime Minister, the British Government has very exposed intelligence cooperation with the CIA; how much damage to British intelligence was done allegedly by Rick Ames?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I have nothing to say at the moment.

    QUESTION:

    Vice President have you heard a lot of American names down for Moscow, diplomats, for retaliation?

    VICE PRESIDENT GORE:

    No, we have no official word as of this moment.

    QUESTION:

    [Inaudible but re bringing an end to this chapter of American-Soviet relations]

    VICE PRESIDENT GORE:

    The developments of last week were very serious and everyone understands that fact. The investigation is continuing, it will be extremely thorough. At the same time, the impact of the allegations against the CIA employee should be put in a larger perspective and the relationship between the West and Russia, between the United States and Russia, should not be determined by such an incident. We have our own self-interest in continuing the improvement of relations with Russia and we will seek that.

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, what is your reaction to the shooting down of Serbian planes?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I expressed it earlier, it remains the same: the Security Council Resolution was passed nearly a year ago; what the Resolution said was perfectly plain; it established a no-fly zone. Here were half a dozen planes that were clearly infringing the no-fly zone, I think there is little doubt about that. They were warned, they didn’t desist, they were shot down. I think they could have expected nothing else.

    QUESTION:

    But does it damage prospects for peace in Bosnia?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I don’t believe so. The no-fly zone was there for a purpose. It is now clear to people that the no-fly zone will be enforced.

    QUESTION:

    What about the impact possibly on British troops [indistinct] aid?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I don’t think there will be an impact upon that. We have contingency arrangements to make sure British troops are secure.

    QUESTION:

    Vice-President, what is your reaction to the shooting-down?

    VICE PRESIDENT GORE:

    This has been a standing order for quite some time. Back in September there was one brief violation, this is the first violation since then and it was met instantly with the appropriate response. There is much we still need to learn about why these aircraft would attempt their mission but far from damaging the prospects for peace, it may actually improve the prospects for peace.

    QUESTION:

    How exactly?

    VICE PRESIDENT GORE:

    By sending the message very clearly and firmly that the no-fly zone is not to be trifled with and that strengthens the force of the other statements by NATO and the United Nations.

    QUESTION:

    [Indistinct] these were Serb planes, not Croatian planes?

    VICE PRESIDENT GORE:

    Let’s await further [indistinct]. We know the type of plane and the type of plane is associated with bases in Serbian-controlled territory but we need more information before making any definite statement.

    I think that is a fair comment.

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, have you had a reaction from the Russians on the shooting down?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I am not aware of one yet.

    QUESTION:

    Are you looking forward to going back to your roots?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I am certainly looking forward to going to Pittsburgh. [Laughter].

  • Mr Major’s Doorstep Interview in Washington – 28 February 1994

    Below is Mr Major’s doorstep interview in Washington after a meeting with Vice President Al Gore, held on Monday 28th February 1994.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Just let me say a word or two about the discussions now and earlier this morning with Secretary of State Christopher and others.
    We had the opportunity both over breakfast and now with the Vice-President to look at a range of issues and there is no doubt that our policies on Bosnia and on Russia are very closely aligned now. Some of the difficulties that existed in the past I think have substantially been put behind us. We had the opportunity of discussing those this morning and a range of other issues. I won’t go into details at the moment but I will take a few questions if you have any.

    QUESTION:

    On Bosnia, Prime Minister, the fact of what happened this morning, doesn’t that increase the risk to British ground troops and wouldn’t it increase perhaps the pressure you would like to bring on the Americans to put ground troops in too because it might concentrate their minds when it came to air strikes in Bosnia?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think what happened in Bosnia this morning was always likely to happen at some stage. We passed this Resolution a year or so ago now. I think what it does illustrate is that United Nations Security Council Resolutions can’t be ignored with impunity. That might be a very useful lesson. I am absolutely sure that Admiral Border [phon] was right to take the decision that he took this morning and I hope the lesson has been learned from it.

    QUESTION:

    How will any Serb retaliation be greeted now?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I have no reason to suppose there is going to be any Serb retaliation. The last I heard – and I may be out-of-date as this was an hour or so ago – the Serbs hadn’t even conceded they were their planes. We are still waiting for further information on that.

    QUESTION:

    Did you discuss Russia at all?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We did discuss Russia this morning. There is no doubt we both remain very strongly supportive of the reform process. There is a great deal happening in Russia at the moment and I look forward to discussing those in further detail with the President later; I would prefer to comment after that.

    QUESTION:

    [Inaudible].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    On Partnership for Peace, we haven’t yet heard from the Russians whether they are proposing to take part in that, I very much hope that they will. I expressed that thought to President Yeltsin when I was there. I think Partnership for Peace will be enhanced by the Russians taking part in it. I think it is in the West’s interest that they should do so and I think it is in their interest as well but as yet we haven’t heard from them.

    QUESTION:

    What are you hoping can now achieved at the United Nations with fresh Resolutions related to Bosnia?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I don’t know yet what fresh Resolutions we are going to get.

    There is a good deal of discussion. What we really have to determine is how we carry forward two separate things: firstly, the political peace process; it does seem that the discussions here in Washington between the Croats and the Muslims over the last 24 hours have looked very hopeful, we will know a little more by the end of the day but they certainly seem to have gone pretty well so far. And secondly, of course, what actually happens on the ground; whether it is possible to negotiate ceasefires in an increasing range of areas.

    Those two events both need to be carried through in parallel. That is what is happening at the moment. I believe that is the right way to proceed and I think there is a unity of view about that.

    ELINOR GOODMAN:

    On Bosnia, was there anything particular you wanted out of the Americans, for example a commitment to more troops and what was their response?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    No, we were discussing strategic matters this morning and I will continue that discussion with the President later on today.