The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Tag: France

  • Sir John Major’s Statement on the Death of President Jacques Chirac – 26 September 2019

    The statement issued on Thursday 26 September 2019 by Sir John Major, following the death of former French President Jacques Chirac.

    President Jacques Chirac of France was always prepared to be a friend and partner of the United Kingdom.

    He sat in the Centre Right of politics, and was unattracted by extremes.

    An engaging man, and a supreme politician – but one whose mind could be changed by facts, by persuasion, or by circumstance. Although he was forever impulsive – and often brave – once he gave his word it was, in my own experience, invariably honoured.

    London

    26 September 2019

  • Mr Major’s Joint Doorstep Interview with the French Prime Minister, Alain Juppe – 3 February 1997

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s joint doorstep interview in London with the French Prime Minister, Mr Alain Juppe, held on Monday 3rd February 1997.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Good afternoon. Let me firstly say what a pleasure it is to welcome the Prime Minister again to the United Kingdom. Over the last couple of years, or perhaps longer, we have had the opportunity of a number of meetings, they have always been immensely enjoyable and very constructive and I think I can say that of our meeting here again today.

    We had a pretty wide agenda, I will run through the heads of it, invite the Prime Minister to speak and then we will take your questions.

    I think if I went into the detail of all we had been discussing, we would be here until a very late hour this evening. We discussed a number of bilateral matters before turning on to the European agenda, concentrating most comprehensively upon the Intergovernmental Conference, but also discussing the prospects for economic and monetary union and communal European interests with the rest of the world.

    We also looked at a number of specific issues – enlargement of the European Union, enlargement of NATO, the present situation in a number of overseas countries, we also looked at the problem in the Great Lakes and a number of international issues of that sort about which we have a mutual interest.

    In many of the European matters we have a common view, in others I think, as is well known, we have a different view at present but are trying to see to what extent we can bring divergent views together and I think we had a very useful explanation, one to the other, of the areas of difficulty we both see in the Intergovernmental Conference.

    I think I will leave the details for your questions and invite the Prime Minister to say a few words.

    M JUPPE:

    [Interpretation inaudible].

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister Juppe, do you think the single currency will come into effect on 1st January 1999 and why do you think it would be in Britain’s interest to join on that date?

    M JUPPE:

    I am deeply convinced that the single currency will be implemented next year, in 1998, and as you know France will be ready at that time to enter the single currency. Our budget policy, our anti-inflation policy and so on will allow us to meet the criteria and those criteria are wise criteria, as you know. We also think that it will be in the interests of all our partners, and especially of Great Britain, to join us, but I think that John Major has reason to explain this better than I do, but I wish that either in the first wave or in the second wave Great Britain will join us.

    QUESTION (Adam Boulton, Sky News):

    Is the British government now in favour in principle of the single currency, as the Foreign Secretary has accused Mr Blair of being and M. Juppe, what do you see as being the significance of this possible division between the Labour Party and the Conservative Party?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think you know very well our position on a single currency. We are not absolutely certain that it will be ready for 1999 and there is a difference of view between our European partners and us upon that about whether the convergence criteria will be clearly sustainable at that particular date. Clearly the importance of the economic criteria are such that if it isn’t sustainable we are very dubious about the desirability of it proceeding.

    And I will comment on the Labour Party’s position when I have been discussing the Labour Party’s position and not after I have been discussing the British Government’s position with the Prime Minister.

    M JUPPE:

    No comment on domestic affairs of course.

    QUESTION:

    M Juppe, does the existence of the social chapter in France present an obstacle to job creation?

    M JUPPE:

    I don’t think so. I think there is no relation or no link between those two elements. I think that our main objective to create jobs in France is to consolidate our budget and financial situation and I think we are making very interesting progress on this way. As you know unemployment has decreased in France during the last month of December and we have many signs of an improvement of the situation of our companies, especially our small businesses and as you know small business is likely to be the place where jobs can be created most efficiently in France.

    QUESTION (Tom Burrows, Market News):

    A story in the Independent today says that France and Germany have come close to an agreement on some kind of stability council, that would be some kind of counterpart to the European Central Bank. Given the concerns about this, particularly from some quarters both here and also in Germany about what this would mean for the Central Bank’s independence, where do you both stand on the issue of such a council and what its status should be?

    M JUPPE:

    We obviously respect the independence of the central banks, of the French central bank, of other European central banks and of course of the European central bank when EMU will be in effect. But it is also absolutely necessary to have a cooperation dialogue between the countries which will participate in EMU and the Council of Stability and Growth is the place where this cooperation must take place. It is in the spirit of the Maastricht Treaty and there is no question of stopping the independence of the Central Bank in such a project.

    QUESTION:

    [Indistinct] of a Labour Government?

    M JUPPE:

    I have already answered that question saying there is going to be no comment on domestic affairs and you can just use this answer to all the following questions on the same issue.

    QUESTION:

    Did you discuss defence matters and are you in agreement that it should be the Western European Union rather than the European Union that should proceed to control those [Indistinct].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We discussed defence matters in some respects, we discussed for example the NATO Summit and we discussed the desirability of developing a European defence identity as the European arm of NATO. We did not discuss the organisational question to which you refer.

    QUESTION:

    Did the British Prime Minister give the French Prime Minister any useful home recipes as to how to manage the economy, and if so what are you going to do about it?

    M JUPPE:

    [Interpretation inaudible].

    QUESTION.

    [Indistinct] intervene in the current situation in Serbia with regard to the local elections?

    M JUPPE:

    [Interpretation inaudible].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    That is my view as well.

    QUESTION:

    Could you just make a comment on Serbia in English for the international press?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    As the Prime Minister just said, we are concerned that the legitimate outcome of the elections is honoured and that has been a European Union position, I think it is very well known. We spent some time looking at the position both in the short term and the long term in Serbia and also in Bosnia Herzegovina and clearly there is a great deal to be done. I don’t wish to go into the details of what we discussed.

    QUESTION:

    Since Prime Minister, you said that you talked about a number of international issues, did you talk about Algeria and if so what did you say?

    M JUPPE:

    [Interpretation inaudible].

    QUESTION:

    Can you comment on England’s World Cup row with Germany?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    The last time we played Germany we lost on penalties, it was an extremely good game and I think we were very unlucky to lose but it was a very good one. Whether we will lose as far as 2006 is concerned is a long way away. We think that the United Kingdom could stage the World Cup with skill and style and the Football Association will have the Government’s full support in its bid to do so.

  • Mr Major’s Comments on Zaire (III) – 8 November 1996

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s comments on Zaire, made in an interview held in Bordeaux on Friday 8th November 1996.

    QUESTION:

    [Mr Major was asked about the current situation in Zaire and what was needed].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think we have to discuss with a wide range of countries precisely what’s needed. It’s going to the United Nations, that’s clearly the right forum for discussing it. That help is needed in Zaire I think is beyond question, I don’t think anyone doubts that, the humanitarian problem is self-evident and very serious. What the right solution is requires a bit more discussion.

    QUESTION:

    [Mr Major was asked if British troops would be sent to Zaire].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    There are many areas and ways in which people can help. Nobody quite knows yet what the troops are going to do, are they going to open the corridor? Are they going to be there simply as a broad and friendly presence? Mrs Ogata [Sadako Ogata], the High Commissioner for Refugees, has put forward one plan, others have put forward other plans, they need to be discussed.

    We need to know whether the host Governments would welcome them. We need to know whether the Governments in the region would accept them. We need to know whether there will be an African presence amongst the troops. We would need to know what the mission of the troops would be. They’re all matters which are vital to the decision, and there’s been no discussion about those matters yet.

    QUESTION:

    [Mr Major was asked whether France would be the only country sending troops].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    They’re plainly not going to be, because they’ve said they won’t send any troops unless the United States do. They’ve agreed therefore that it needs to be discussed in international forums, and plainly that is going to be the United Nations.

  • UK / French Joint Declaration on Zaire – 8 November 1996

    Below is the text of the joint UK / French Declaration on Zaire, issued on 8th November 1996.

    JOINT DECLARATION:

    The President of the French Republic and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom have discussed the situation in the Zairean province of Kivu and the tragic situation currently being experienced by more than one million people deprived of humanitarian assistance.

    The two countries have decided to coordinate their efforts closely, especially within the framework of the United Nations Security Council and the European Union, so that the necessary international arrangements can swiftly be put in place to enable humanitarian aid reliably to reach displaced persons and refugees in Zaire once again. They are ready to contribute to this with the longer term objective of enabling the voluntary return of these people to their country of origin.

    France and the United Kingdom remain convinced that in addition to this immediate humanitarian objective, a political solution to the problems should be found in association with the Governments in the region. In this connection, preparation for the International Conference on Peace, Security and Development for the Great Lakes Region under the aegis of the United Nations and the OAU should begin as soon as possible.

    John Major.

    Jacques Chirac.

  • Mr Major’s Speech in Bordeaux – 8 November 1996

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s speech given in Bordeaux on Friday 8th November 1996.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Mr President, Prime Minister. Let me firstly thank you for your hospitality today and for the splendid meetings we were also able to have yesterday afternoon.

    What I think is beyond doubt is the extent to which the Anglo-French relationship has not only improved but has entered into new spheres and has become much more substantial at present than at any stage in the past that I can remember. It is not only a political relationship, it is a military relationship and an industrial and commercial relationship. I had the pleasure yesterday of going to Toulouse and there I saw the remarkable collaborative venture – Airbus – which has just had a splendid success in achieving such a magnificent order from the United States. It is I think the most sparkling example yet of European collaboration on important projects and it is moving rapidly to becoming the most significant aircraft production company in the world.

    But this is by no means the only area of joint interest. Joint interests in defence where we have not only worked together so closely in Bosnia, but had many other joint interests: a joint Anglo/French Air Group, established when we met some time ago; a joint Naval Agreement, signed by our Defence Ministers this morning; and agreements planned on further cooperation between our armies that I hope we will be able to sign on our next occasion.

    This is by no means an exclusive list but it is an indication of the huge range of cooperation at present between our two countries and their industries and their national institutions.

    This morning we met, Mr President, to cover a whole range of bilateral and international matters. We met here in Bordeaux in a room that had been destroyed by terrorist action not very long ago. I think it is right we should have met in that room, right to emphasise our joint determination not to be blown off course by any terrorist action, whatever it may be for, wherever it may come, however severe it may be. I hope the place of our meeting this morning will be a powerful symbol of our joint determination to stand against terrorism.

    There are other areas of great importance where we have work in progress and where we are equally determined. The fight against drugs is a particular illustration. Again I saw yesterday an illustration of the French and the British working together against the drugs menace that afflicts and threatens both our communities. These are areas where we share instincts and where we share a determination to work together, convinced that together we can better face the menaces that confront us.

    We discussed many international matters, as you said Mr President, upon most of which we have a very similar view. What was evident in the discussions we had was that there are a very great range of areas upon which we agree, a rather smaller list of areas upon which we do not yet agree, but that even in those areas we are able to have a worthwhile and constructive debate to see what areas of agreement can be reached and to understand the reasons why, from time to time, agreement is not perhaps total.

    I thought our meeting this morning illustrated the excellent nature of Anglo-French relationships very well. And it was startling also to see the extent of agreement between our Ministers upon their individual subjects. I believe we can say, with total sincerity, that the Anglo-French relationship is in good heart. I for one welcome that very much. We share interests on the Security Council, in the European Union, in NATO, in many other international bodies and in being the two Western European nuclear powers. I daresay there will never be a moment when upon every single issue there is unanimity between my country and yours, but the areas of disagreement are dwarfed by the areas of agreement. That has been illustrated yet again in a very clear way in the discussions we have had today.

    There is one area upon which we are in total agreement, and that is the sheer pleasure and joy of sitting down to a French meal with French wines, and I am conscious that only I am standing between you and that French meal and the French wine.

    So I will repeat my thanks for the warmth of your hospitality, for the Prime Minister’s hospitality and for that of the people of Bordeaux. I am deeply grateful for the way we have been received and thank you very much indeed.

  • John Major’s Joint Press Conference with President Chirac – 8 November 1996

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s joint press conference with President Chirac of France, given in Bordeaux on Friday 8th November 1996.

    PRESIDENT CHIRAC:

    Good Afternoon. First of all let me welcome the British delegation, Ministers and their officials with them. On behalf of the Mayor of Bordeaux and on my own account I would like to wish them the warmest welcome.

    This morning we have had meetings, as you will be aware. Can I also take this opportunity to welcome the British and French journalists who are here for this press conference.

    So we had meetings this morning and then we had the plenary meeting, which is the usual custom in these summits. And very briefly I will go over what has been said and done at this 19th Anglo-French Summit.

    Of course we talked about monetary union yesterday evening at dinner. Nothing has moved on that. I informed the Prime Minister about the French position, which you are all aware of.

    The British Prime Minister of course repeated to me the British position, which you are aware of.

    On the Intergovernmental Conference, which we discussed this morning, it seems that there are many areas of common ground, although there are still areas where there are differences of opinion. Those areas where we have common ground are our determination to make a significant forward progress at Dublin and to conclude our Intergovernmental Conference in Amsterdam next June. There is also agreement in principle on a range of issues: the role of national parliaments; the principle of subsidiarity and the implementation thereof; weighting of voting; the size of the Commission; the European Parliament; the Court of Justice. Those are the main headings that we addressed and where we have common ground. Those areas where we differ, there are some still. We have worked on them already and we are trying to clarify our respective positions to see how far we can harmonise our positions on the question of qualified majority voting, defence and matters relating to the third pillar.

    Then there is a particular subject where there is some ambiguity where we need to reflect further in the coming weeks, and this is everything referring to enhanced cooperation and the implementation of that cooperation. On the question of enlargement we are largely in agreement: equal treatment from the outset for all countries and I have proposed the convening of a European Conference as a substitute for the meetings that we now have with the 11 candidate nations for entry into the Union and I feel that the present arrangement for the meetings with the representatives of those nations is not correct and we should have a European Conference where more serenely and more calmly we should discuss together with our future partners the way in which things are evolving. But there is no question of this conference being in any way a substitute for the procedure relating to accession to the Union. It is a dialogue.

    We have noted that we have common ground in our reaction to the unilateral trade measures taken by the US Government, the Helms-Burton-D’Amato legislation, and the need for the Community to respond as one.

    We have also noted that we have an identical viewpoint on the need to strengthen our efforts to combat drugs and as quickly as possible to try and ensure that all European legislation is harmonised and it is as firm on this problem.

    We have also discussed BSE and on this we noted that information that was in the headlines of the press some days back, that the British were not complying with the conditions they accepted in Florence was wrong, and we took the occasion to rectify that misinformation. And the Prime Minister reconfirmed to me that the United Kingdom fully shares the concerns of France regarding bananas.

    Then we turned to political and strategic issues and I would say that the areas of common ground between France and the United Kingdom, and of course including Germany, have allowed us to reach agreement on the reform of NATO. We discussed the situation and outstanding problems regarding the general reform of NATO, which France could support. We talked about the enlargement of NATO which we are favourable to on condition that that enlargement takes place in conditions that are from the outside acceptable to Russia, although of course there is no question of giving Russia a veto on this. But we also said we need a European security architecture that covers the whole of Europe and which will enable us to turn the page and go forward from Yalta. We also noted that our approach to the forthcoming OSCE Summit in Lisbon was identical.

    Then we turned to international issues and there again we have identical views on many areas, like the former Yugoslavia, the forthcoming conferences on Bosnia, the former Yugoslavia, in Paris and in London, on post-IFOR. We also expressed our concern regarding the process of peace in the Middle East, again an area of common ground, our concern. And then we have an identical approach of our countries in our relations with Russia. And in conclusion, something that we began with, we have a common position on the drama that Zaire is currently subject to with refugees being chased out of their refugee camps in the Kivo province. You are aware that we published a joint communique on this this morning and indeed it was on that point that we began our discussion.

    Then finally on bilateral issues, we noted that military cooperation between our two countries was increasingly more wide-ranging and was taking place in very efficient and friendly terms, and our respective Defence Ministers have just signed a Naval Cooperation Agreement. The Joint Franco-British Air Group is going to be expanded to include Germany and Italy. On armaments we also noted that important and significant progress had been made in areas of cooperation. The United Kingdom is going to join the European Armaments Agency, where France and Germany are already members, and we have several important agreements, the agreement between British Aerospace and Masa in particular.

    As regards the Eurotunnel, we noted that there is a problem there and that together we need to study this and find the best possible solution, taking account of the constraints on both sides, both in the United Kingdom and in France.

    And we noted the fact that initiatives, particularly on drugs and school exchanges, that we decided when I went on a State Visit to Britain last year, we noted that these initiatives were well under way and we were very happy to note that that was the case.

    Just two further points that are quite important we noted that we have excellent cooperation in the implementation of the conclusions of the G7 regarding multilateral debt; we also noted that we had agreement on security of the international financial system, looking forward to Denver. So we have an identical approach and focus on these matters.

    And finally, in the same spirit, we noted that there has been intensification of cooperation on security and anti-terrorism measures with enhanced cooperation between our respective services. The cooperation is already good but we look forward to it being continued effectively. I think that is what we have done today. Just one further step forward in the cooperation between France and Great Britain which is characterised by friendship and trust. Thank you.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Let me just add a few words to what the President has said. If I may at the outset, I would like to thank the President and the Prime Minister for their hospitality yesterday and today in Bordeaux and also the people of Bordeaux. It is always a disruption to normal life when one of these summits takes place, but we have had an enormously warm reception here and for that I would like to express my very deep thanks.

    I think we have had an excellent summit today. It is built on a very good relationship and a very wide range of mutual interests, both bilaterally and internationally.

    The President has summarised with great detail many of the matters we discussed and I will just perhaps emphasise a few of the points very briefly. We spent some time last evening and this morning discussing Zaire, as indeed did our Foreign Ministers. It is a complex issue. I don’t think anyone doubts the humanitarian difficulties that are building up there, or the need for help and assistance in the region. We intend to work constructively with our French colleagues, with the rest of the international community, and try and play our role in getting clear decisions taken most appropriately I think at the United Nations, as to what international action is most appropriate. The United Kingdom already makes strong humanitarian commitments to African countries, including Zaire, and I have no doubt we will have a role of some sort in whatever decisions are taken and clearly it is important that decisions about Zaire are clear-cut and taken speedily and we both agreed that that should be the case.

    We spent quite a lot of time this morning discussing European Union issues. It is very fashionable, of course, to concentrate on the areas of difference amongst European partners. We discussed those, of course, we also noted the areas of agreement: on national sovereignty; on the role of national parliaments; on subsidiarity; on the desirability, the necessity even, of re-weighting the votes in the European Union; on the need for a reduction in the size of the Commission; on common foreign and security policy where there is very wide agreement, not total agreement but very wide agreements on enlargement; on the powers of the European Parliament; and on our joint wish to look again at the powers of the European Court of Justice, particularly in the areas where they make retrospective judgments that change European law and lead to large domestic expenditure within individual nation states. Many of these matters are matters where we are coordinating and we will endeavour as far as we can to see whether we can form a common position on many of these issues between now and the Dublin Summit and certainly between now and the conclusion of the Intergovernmental Conference.

    Over the last two or three years there has been a very dramatic extension of our defence cooperation and today, in addition to discussion between our Defence Ministers of course there has been discussion between a wide range of senior Ministers covering their own individual subjects, and I am grateful to all of them for their role in this summit.

    As far as defence is concerned, we had an Air Agreement that the President and I signed some time ago. Our Defence Ministers signed a Letter of Intent on Naval Cooperation this morning and that builds on the strong military cooperation, including nuclear cooperation, that we already have. And our Defence Ministers will be further examining the scope for yet more practical detailed cooperation as far as our Armies are concerned to match that that exists with the Air Force and with the Navy.

    We also do a considerable amount of work together on drugs and I saw yesterday the work of French anti-drugs forces in Bordeaux. Here is an area, as the French said, where we believe it is appropriate to continue to press across Europe for a mere effective way of working together and for some coordination, some toughening of the penalties for drug offences across the European Union. We have very tough penalties already in the United Kingdom, we would be very pleased to see them reflected right the way across the nation states of Europe.

    We spent a little while also on terrorism, that is a problem that both of us have had to face from time to time. Indeed the room where we met this morning was afflicted with a bomb attack just a few months ago.

    On international issues of course we discussed the aftermath of the US elections, the Middle East peace process, Bosnia, Iraq and a range of other areas.

    We both noted with considerable pleasure the tremendous progress that has been made by the collaborative venture, Airbus. Many were sceptical about that when it started, but think it has probably proved itself the most effective piece of European collaborative industrial ventures that we have yet seen. It has taken a very large percentage of the international aircraft market and it has ambitions to become the largest aircraft supplier in the world. So that is going extremely well and we were delighted at the orders that Airbus got yesterday from the United States.

    We discussed also, as the President said, areas where we are not quite in agreement. It is inevitable that there are some of those. We have a relationship where we can discuss the areas of agreement, and the areas of disagreement, with complete frankness. We do have some different perceptions on some European matters and we were able to discuss those to see where we can narrow the differences and to ensure that there are no misunderstandings between us.

    We also looked at a range of bilateral initiatives, most of which are going extremely well, the exchange of students and a range of other matters perhaps I need not detain you with.

    So I found it an extremely worthwhile exchange of views. I think it is the 7th time the President and I have had the opportunity of exchanging views like this and I think that cumulative series of meetings is showing a good deal, of results in terms of the growing and deepening relationship between the United Kingdom and France.

    So I am very grateful for the meeting we have had here today and I think the President and I will be happy to try and field any questions that you may have.

    QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

    QUESTION (Robin Oakley, BBC):

    President Chirac, you mentioned discussions on the IGC and Mr Major has said that if the European Court finds against Britain on the 48 hours working directive he will be seeking treaty amendments. Would he have your support in seeking such treaty amendments following a European Court of Justice decision? And on the communique on Zaire, could I ask why there is no reference to military action given that France was suggesting, in advance of today, that countries not prepared to commit themselves to military action were spineless?

    PRESIDENT CHIRAC:

    On the dispute between the United Kingdom and the Court, I am very close to John Major’s position on this and quite prepared to support him. Turning to Zaire, France had never proposed a military engagement in Zaire. What we had said was if there were to be an international force, requested by the African states and controlled by the UN and the OAU, then France would be prepared to join and make a contribution to such a force to enable the refugees to go back to their camps and to enable humanitarian aid to get through, because humanitarian aid is already there on the ground but unfortunately cannot be got to the refugees

    Yesterday there was a meeting of the 15, there was a meeting of the Security Council, there is a whole series of contacts that are going between the countries, members of the Union and the United States, despite the fact that this has happened on the day of the elections in the United States. And France wants and hopes that, provided the Africans ask for intervention in the conditions that I have said, we would be prepared to respond.

    QUESTION:

    President, can you really talk about a common resolution on Zaire when France has got a draft resolution before the United Nations and as the Prime Minister seems to be more than reticent, don’t you think that we are losing a lot of time and time is of the essence in this?

    PRESIDENT CHIRAC:

    You have seen the Franco-British communique. There is no divergence of views between us on this. We all want to try and get a solution on humanitarian grounds as quickly as possible but that doesn’t mean that we can just go ahead and do just anything.

    Yesterday evening at about 8 p m., I had a call from President Mandela who was trying to get in touch with President Mobuto. Mobuto had said that he would be favourable to have a force coming to Zaire. You have to take into account that all this would be coming into Zaire so Mobuto said he would accept a neutral force on Zairean territory.

    All this means that we have to reflect and there has to be a certain amount of agreement among the Africans. It is not our role to go ahead with any initiative against their wishes, this is their affair.

    Of course, we denounce what is happening on humanitarian grounds and we the Europeans – the Union – will do everything we can to improve the humanitarian situation but there is the reality that it is not happening here in our countries so we must have agreement with the Africans as to what we are going to do because otherwise we can’t do anything.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Let me just add a point to that question because there is no difference between France and Britain about the importance of seeking international help into Zaire, both France and Britain are already providing it. We have a very long – a very proud record I think, both countries – of helping in humanitarian situations.

    The question is to decide what precisely needs to be done and how it can be done and that does require some further international discussion. For example, you mentioned particularly the question of troops. We need to know what the host governments would think about that, what would the adjacent governments think about that, would there be a preference for African troops, would they want European involvement, would they want European logistic support, would they just want European financial support, how is that going to be dealt with via the United Nations, what would be the view of the Organisation for African Unity?

    There is no dispute between the President and I whatsoever about the urgency and imperative nature of trying to get some extra help there. No-one who sees those pictures coming out of the Great Lakes district can be in any doubt about that and nobody who knows the history of France or the history of the United Kingdom in assisting in humanitarian problems of this sort can doubt our willingness to assist but what we have to do is to make sure that we coordinate with other people to provide assistance that is appropriate. If it is appropriate at some stage to go ahead with troops, what is to be their mission? That needs to be discussed and determined, the command structure.

    What I am not doing is arguing for a long delay, what I am saying is that we need to get the answers to those questions right before we can take decisions. France has raised the urgency of those questions, it is now being discussed in the United Nations, France has some plans, Mrs. Ogata has some plans, other people have plans. The urgent thing now – and France has tabled its own resolution – is to make sure that this is discussed and that decisions are taken speedily and upon that fundamental point there is total agreement between the President and I, between France and the United Kingdom.

    QUESTION (Financial Times):

    President Chirac, in the wider area of social policy, are you convinced by the lower rate of unemployment in Britain, that France needs to introduce more flexibility into its labour market to get it higher rate of unemployment down?

    Secondly, you mentioned Eurotunnel. Are you still in favour of prolonging the concession of the Eurotunnel operators in order to ease their financial problems?

    PRESIDENT CHIRAC:

    On the first point, yes, I note the positive trends of the results achieved by the British Government on unemployment, of course I note that. I am not entirely certain that these results are due to more or less flexibility. I think they are more the result of the rigorous management over several years of the economy in the United Kingdom, in particular of overcoming the deficit and sound financial management.

    I am convinced that you cannot fight unemployment and bring it down unless you have sound management because that is the only way for real growth. That in itself is not enough of course to bring unemployment down but what it can do is give you the necessary margin of manoeuvre in financial terms to enable measures to bring unemployment down to be more effective.

    As regards flexibility which you have raised, in France we are very committed to a social model that we have. The social benefits that we have and enjoy should not be challenged in our view. I can agree, of course, that we should constantly adapt to new situations but that should not be done by raising any questions about social security and the security of workers on what they have achieved and the benefits they have won in the past.

    What I would say is that we want a European model and we are working for that, we want to have that approach to this issue. Of course, we have a lot to learn from the British on management and the rigorous way in which they have managed the economy which has enabled them to relaunch their economy on firmer ground.

    On Eurotunnel, yes, there is this request for an extension of the concession. Of course, we are aware that that creates problems for the British authorities and so we are not demanding. What we are looking for is a solution and we hope we have one solution or the other. What we want to do is find a solution and look at ways of doing that and I know that the British authorities together with their French colleagues and counterparts are looking seriously to try and find the best possible solution to these difficulties.

    QUESTION:

    President, a question on domestic policy. It has been said you are going to change your Prime Minister. Is that true?

    PRESIDENT CHIRAC:

    I am not sure that this is a very elegant question to raise in the presence of the British Prime Minister. He is going to ask himself where he has ended up, where he is and you should keep to the subjects of our press conference but I have been told that lots of French journalists have asked this question.

    I am extremely attentive and I am sure nobody would challenge what the French people say. I listen to the French people. I also listen all the time to proposals and suggestions that come from their representatives, politicians, businessmen from all areas and I listen very carefully to them but on the other hand, I am not going to go into this kind of declaration.

    What we need to do is together face up to the serious problems that France has to face in the interests of our people and this should be our foremost concern. Like you, I am aware of the difficulties that our people have, our country is engaged on a difficult exercise, a difficult effort, a thankless task but one that cannot be avoided, to rebuild our economy. We need to restore social cohesion and we are engaged on that and that is the only way to ensure the future security of the French people and of future generations so I will say to you that I have full confidence in the courage and the clearness of vision and the character of the Prime Minister but also of the governing party, and indeed of all the French people to successfully conclude this difficult effort we are engaged upon. Solidarity today, particularly in the majority of people in the government party that supports the government is a moral obligation at this moment in time.

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, can I bring you back to the question of the 48-hour working week and ask you to react to what Mr Chirac said and say what sort of hope you have of actually getting this decision reversed if it does go against you on Tuesday?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    At the moment, on the 48-hour week we have the Advocate-General’s opinion which was adverse. We don’t yet have the European Court’s decision which we will get I imagine next week. I hope it will be favourable but if it follows the Advocate-General’s opinion and is unfavourable, then clearly we will seek to reverse it.

    We will seek to reverse it for several reasons. Firstly, we believe it has been brought forward under the wrong treaty head. It has been brought forward under the health and safety element of the treaty so that it can be put through by qualified majority vote. We don’t think that is the appropriate place for decisions that effectively relate to working conditions. We believe firstly that it is in the wrong place in the treaty and once the Social Contract had been agreed it was more relevantly placed there – though it wasn’t put there – and secondly, these are matters predominantly for employer and employees; thirdly, we don’t believe they are in an event a matter for prescriptive judgment from Brussels upon individual nation states so for those reasons we believe it needs to be reversed.

    It is not just what is specifically in the working time directive, it is the principle of the working time directive and the fact that if we were to accept that after a European Court judgment, then we fear that the same treaty head would be used to drive through other pieces of legislation that also ought to come under the Social Contract for which the United Kingdom has an opt-out so if we lose then we will need to seek a change to the treaty and I have made it clear – not recently, I made it clear many months ago – that in those circumstances we would return to our colleagues and we would say we do not think this is appropriate, we do not think that this is in the spirit of what should have been done following the agreement that the United Kingdom had an opt-out on the Social Contract and we will say to our European colleagues that we wish to see this matter dealt with and changed in the intergovernmental conference and that will be a very important matter for us; we will bring it forward and we will expect our European colleagues to respond. They know about my concern for it, I have mentioned it in European Councils before. What I am saying to you today is not in any sense a surprise to the Commission or to any of the heads of government across Europe, they have known for some time how strongly we have felt about this issue and it is a matter of prime importance to us and we will seek the treaty change I referred to

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, you have said in your article in “Le Monde” that you were a convinced European Everybody knows that if you are a convinced European in your country, in your party you have Euro-sceptics who often give you a hard time of it. Over time, do you think you are going to be able to persuade them to become good Europeans or are things going to remain uncertain over a further period?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I have to say the definition of a good European is quite an interesting one and I am not sure that many people would agree precisely what the definition of a good European is. I am a convinced European, I have no doubt whatever that Britain’s role is within Europe but that does not mean that I agree with every aspect of the way in which Europe is developing, indeed I do not and my judgement is that the good European does not gently slide behind his colleagues and say “Well, I don’t like this but I am going to follow the herd!” the good European, if he thinks something is going wrong, sounds the alarm and says so and that is the way in which I see the role of the United Kingdom.

    In areas where we disagree with our colleagues – and there are some – we shall say so, not because the British Government is adopting an anti-European position but because in certain areas the British Government believes the direction in which Europe is going is the wrong direction and if it is the wrong direction I think we have a duty, a responsibility, to say so and to argue our case with our European partners and that is what we will do.

    You referred to people who take a different view, less-convinced Europeans in my party. Well, they exist in every country. If you look at some of the opinion polls across Europe on some great issues at the moment, you will find very sharp divisions among the public in a number of European countries. I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing, I think it is very important that there is a proper, constructive European debate about the great issues that are immediately in front of us.

    I will try and persuade people both in the United Kingdom and elsewhere across Europe of the substantive nature of our concern firstly to build a Europe that works and secondly to avoid making errors in the construction of Europe that I believe would damage it in the short-term and in the long-term so those are the matters that I debate with my European partners. I don’t do it in a spirit of obstructionism, I don’t do it in a spirit of anti-Europeanism, I debate areas of difference with them where I believe that there is a better way of proceeding for the future and I will continue to do that. Whether I will prevail or not with my European colleagues or indeed with colleagues at home remains to be seen.

    QUESTION (John Kampfner, Financial Times)

    Prime Minister, on EMU what is your reaction to the report of the Commission this week suggesting that twelve countries would qualify for the convergence criteria with the exclusion of Britain? Do you see this as a reasonably fair prediction of what may happen?

    To the President, how do you respond to criticism of the means by which France may well bring itself within the 3 per cent criterion by the use of the transference of France Telecom’s debt? Do you regard that criticism as valid in any respect and how do you also react to the Commission’s report?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    If I may answer first since the first question was directed to me, with great frankness, I don’t recognise your description of the Commission’s report. The Commission set out a range of criteria on the fiscal deficit – we are at present outside the range though we are closing to within the range. There is a range of other particular criteria where some countries are wildly outside the criteria. There are some countries on the debt criteria that are nearly 100 per cent above the criteria with no credible likelihood that they are going to get down to within it for a very long time and if they were to go into a single currency it could only be on the basis of an interpretation that they were moving in the right direction rather than that they had actually got within the strict interpretation of the Maastricht criteria.

    In most of the areas, Britain is in the convergence criteria, where we are hot we are in any event – quite apart from the necessity to get in it for that reason – moving down within those convergence criteria because they are sensible economic policies to follow and the Chancellor of the Exchequer is rigorously following them so I believe Britain is moving very rapidly towards the criteria where it would have the option of joining or not joining according to the way it decided at the time.

    I personally would be surprised if by 1st January 1999 anything remotely like twelve nations were to qualify for EMU upon a strict interpretation of the criteria. If the criteria are interpreted liberally, then of course more countries will qualify; if they are interpreted strictly, then I would be very surprised if when we get there there are anything like that number who are able to qualify.

    PRESIDENT CHIRAC:

    On the question that you addressed to me I would like to say that when we prepared our budget we of course consulted French experts, the best in the field, and they said to us that regarding the Telecom debt we could rightly act in the way we did. Of course that is not enough so we submitted the matter for consideration by international experts and then by European Union experts; they all looked at our proposal in great detail and they all confirmed that it was perfectly justifiable and that our budget provisions were completely honest and transparent. I can’t go further than that and I am sure you would not want to put yourself in the place of the most competent European experts.

    Thank you.

  • Mr Major’s Doorstep Interview in Bordeaux – 7 November 1996

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s doorstep interview in Bordeaux, held on Thursday 7th November 1996.

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, a crowded agenda today, I wonder if I could ask you first of all about the fight against drugs, that is clearly an area of great Anglo-French cooperation?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    It is, and growing Anglo-French cooperation. It is a matter that both countries feel very strongly about. What we have seen this afternoon in some of the practical cooperation that goes on to try and stop drugs, not just as they pass through our countries but to track them back to source.

    QUESTION:

    Another area of cooperation in Europe is of course Airbus and it does appear that that is one area where European industry in beating American industry?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Well European industry has done extremely well. Many people were very cynical when the Airbus Agreement was originally made. But what we have seen is Airbus moving from a very small enterprise into one of the very big players in the aeroplane market and they have just had a spectacular success with an order from the United States and I am absolutely delighted about that.

    QUESTION:

    And does that mean that they could even overtake the mighty Boeing one day?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Well that is certainly their ambition and I see no reason why they shouldn’t achieve it. They are planning to develop their equivalent of the 747, that will complete their range of aircraft. They are already very big players in the world market and they have plans to become bigger players. It is I think without any doubt the most spectacular example of European collaboration in industry.

    QUESTION:

    Looking ahead to your summit tomorrow, it does appear that Europe once again will dominate. Given that there seem to be very different attitudes in France towards the single currency, and indeed towards the Intergovernmental Conference, do you think it will be a fairly tense session of discussions?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Good gracious no. I know Jacques Chirac far too well for it to be a tense series of discussions. We have a whole range of areas in the Intergovernmental Conference where we have either the same or very similar views. They are not identical on every issue but it is certainly not going to be tense in any way. We will set out our views and we will discuss the matters that need to be determined, both in terms of the Intergovernmental Conference itself and also of course Economic and Monetary Union.

    QUESTION:

    But there is still this big division on further integration, isn’t there?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We have different views on some things, that is certainly true, but I think every individual country in Europe has differing views on something or other, I don’t see any great problems with that, we will discuss those differences.

    QUESTION:

    And do you think they understand why Britain wants to participate in a single currency discussion without necessarily committing itself in the end?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I don’t have any doubt about that. Everybody knows there are very serious technical decisions to be taken that are going to affect every country right across Europe and we need to make sure that we get those discussions right. That is as important for France, as it is for the United Kingdom, as it is for Germany. So I think everybody wants to see the fullest collaboration in the discussions.

    QUESTION:

    There is one area I suppose where Britain and France share a former imperial history. There is now great concern about what is happening in the Great Lakes area of Africa. The French have come up with some ideas for international intervention of some kind, is that something which you think Britain, if you are asked about it, will be able to give you a positive answer on?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I am sure it is something we will discuss. There are a range of ideas that are now floating about and I think it is moving quite rapidly to the head of the agenda in the United Nations and in most of the leading countries that are involved in the United Nations. There is no doubt about the seriousness of the problem, I think that is self-evident. There is no doubt that in one way or another the international community will be required to help. Quite how and quite what will be necessary is one of the things I expect we will discuss tomorrow.

  • Mr Major’s Joint Press Conference with President Jacques Chirac – 15 May 1996

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s joint press conference with President Jacques Chirac, held in London on Wednesday 15th May 1996.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Can I say how very pleased we are to welcome the President here to Downing Street this morning. We have had the opportunity this morning of extremely productive discussions. I propose firstly to ask the President to report on those, I will then add a few words to that and thereafter we will take some questions.

    I should mention to you, I think most of you will know this, but the President has to address a joint session of Parliament very shortly so I fear we only have a limited time this morning. So without any further delay I will invite the President to speak to you.

    PRESIDENT CHIRAC:

    First of all I would like to thank the Prime Minister, to thank Her Majesty The Queen too and to say how very much I appreciated the way I have been welcomed for this visit.

    This morning we had a long conversation with the Prime Minister and the Foreign Ministers and our officials, and everyone will I think probably understand that the first subject that was discussed, because it is an urgent topical matter with many consequences, was the subject of BSE and the beef problem. And we have tried to make a very considerable effort in order to show real solidarity because there must be solidarity in a crisis of this kind in Europe and we want solidarity really to mean something, not just to be a vain word, and I hope this will come out clearly very soon, and perhaps even today in practical terms.

    We also discussed together an overall range of European affairs, including the preparation of the IGC and the problems linked to the present evolution of Europe, developments, enlargement, the single currency etc. We discussed questions of military cooperation, bilateral military cooperation, which is an area in which there is very considerable convergence in matters of concern to each country and the proposals that have been made by England and France. We also of course discussed a certain number of difficult situations in the modern world, and in particular Bosnia, but also Burundi and a certain number of other problems.

    And lastly we discussed certain bilateral issues, and in particular we took certain joint decisions relating to cultural affairs, or education affairs in particular for the exchange of young students for secondary school exchanges. This is the kind of thing we want to expand considerable. Also, a common policy on books publishing and translation.

    So those are the matters that we have been talking about today and I would like to particularly mention the spirit of our meeting, which can be summed up in a word, this is a real dialogue, consultation for concerted action which between England and France, this is the kind of thing which must imperatively be strengthened still further. That is my ambition and I understand it also to be the ambition of the British Prime Minister.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Jacques, thank you very much. Let me just add a few words to that. Firstly, perhaps I can endorse what the President has had to say. The relationship between Britain and France is extremely close at the moment. In a large number of areas we have very positive and very detailed cooperation, in defence in particular, but in many other areas as well, and the President has mentioned the number of bilateral initiatives that we have finally agreed this morning, the exchange of students perhaps being a particularly relevant one for the relationship between Britain and France, but by no means the only one.

    Of course there are areas of difference, and we have discussed those as well. We have discussed in particular this morning ways in which we might cooperate and look at one another’s positions in the intergovernmental conference before it begins.

    There are a wide range of areas where we have communal interests, and we have agreed that we will examine those and see wherever possible whether we can reach a joint position for the intergovernmental conference.

    I am very grateful for what the President has had to say in his support for the Commission’s proposal to lift the ban on gelatine, tallow and semen today. I think it is extremely important that we get the gelatine, tallow and semen ban lifted. I hope that will happen today. I am grateful for the very positive role that the President in particular has played in seeking to ensure that this comes about.

    We have touched on a wide range of international issues as well: the expansion of NATO, a matter of some importance to both of us; we looked at the relationships and the changes that are happening in different parts of the world. But the predominant part of the discussion was based upon European matters and bilateral matters, as the President has set out just a few moments ago.

     

    QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

    QUESTION (Mike Brunson, ITN):

    Prime Minister and Mr President, if this partial ban is not eased today, how serious a problem is it going to be?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We must hope firstly that it is eased today. We see no scientific reason for it not to be eased today, and if it were not to be eased today I think we would need to examine precisely why not and how that matter would proceed. But before I say more about that I think we had better wait and see what happens today.

    QUESTION (Adam Boulton, Sky News):

    Mr President, if British beef is good enough for you to eat, why isn’t it good enough to be traded freely within the European Community?

    PRESIDENT CHIRAC:

    This is a [indistinct] issue and it is in fact irrational. There is a fear, a fear of disease, a fear of illness, and it is very difficult to overcome that. And I think the British government has done everything it can, it has put all its resources to bear to convince the Commission and the European Union of the need to have a plan, a plan which will in the long term and without risk restore faith in beef consumption. And I would think that the British government is making every effort and I hope we will make progress. We must go ahead step by step. Today as we understand, the Commission is going to propose that the embargo be removed. France favours that position. This will apply to gelatine, tallow and semen, of course, subject to compliance with the technical conditions which the Commission has included in its proposal.

    But it seems to me that these conditions are already in place and are being fulfilled by the British government, so there is no reason therefore for us not to support the proposal by the Commission. That would be a first step, a step in the right direction I would say. And in conclusion I would say that we think that this is a problem that affects the whole of Europe and it is up to Europe to express solidarity when solidarity is needed and I do hope that that strong solidarity will be expressed as of today.

    QUESTION:

    President Chirac, the British say that we supported you on nuclear matters, and in fact John Major was the only one to support you at that time, and now we look to you to support him on beef – is that a legitimate claim by him?

    PRESIDENT CHIRAC:

    I don’t think it is a problem of supporting one another, it is a question of solidarity on a position. I have told you what France’s position is today, our position it seems to me is a reasonable one and it gives expression to the kind of solidarity that Europe must have with the United Kingdom in its present crisis that it is undergoing.

    QUESTION:

    [Indistinct] have made some countries in the region to express the strong desire and wish that the United Kingdom, and mainly France as well, and Europe to play a major role in order to secure the peace that has been achieved so far. This matter has not been raised in your talks but will it be considered here in the future by the European Union as a whole?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I should say that the President and I were in touch on a number of occasions, as were Mr Rifkind and Mr de Charette, on the subject of the Middle East and the particular problems in Lebanon recently. There was a very close relationship and if I may say so, the Foreign Minister played a very distinguished role at that time in trying to bring about the ceasefire that has subsequently occurred. Huge progress has been made in the Middle East, there is more to be done, there is no doubt about that. There is no doubt I think that the present position in Lebanon is a fragile position across the border and we are looking for further progress. There is a great deal of bilateral cooperation, particularly between our Foreign Ministers but also directly between the President and dealing with this particular problem. There are some areas where the European Union can play a role, but I think predominantly the role will be played by the members of the Permanent Five, by Britain, by France and by the United States operating bilaterally.

    But that it is a very important matter is beyond doubt and that the British and the French governments are engaged is also beyond doubt.

    QUESTION:

    [Indistinct] in the case of the embargo not being lifted tonight, would you contemplate to have the authority of the empty chair?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I am not going to indicate now what is going to happen in the hypothetical situation that you set out. If there is a bad decision today then we will make our position clear over the next day or so. But at the moment I very much hope that a sensible decision will be reached. There is no scientific reason not to lift the ban on gelatine, tallow and on semen, no scientific reason at all, and we have made that position clear. The position is really quite straight-forward. The Commission imposed the ban, the Commission have been discussing the matter with the British government. The Commission have now decided to propose that the ban is lifted. Upon that basis I see no proper justification for our colleagues in Europe not agreeing with that, now we must wait and see what happens later today.

    QUESTION (Nicholas Witchell, BBC):

    Mr President, have you heard anything from Prime Minister Major today to make you wholeheartedly confident that Britain will be, as you said at Buckingham Palace last night, a cornerstone in the construction of Europe?

    PRESIDENT CHIRAC:

    Our discussions on European matters are on-going between our two countries and the British Prime Minister is committed to participating actively in the future of Europe. I understand completely the positions on both sides, and the problems that we have, but we always settle our problems in an open and friendly manner. And for my part what I would like to see is these friendly discussions going forward so that we can hear the voice of the United Kingdom strongly in the European system. You cannot have the future of Europe built without a strong British presence and without Britain being heard.

    QUESTION:

    Mr President, we have heard talk about a menage a trois in Europe these days, we know the position of France, Germany and the UK, who is going to be in charge in this menage a trois?

    PRESIDENT CHIRAC:

    There is no leader, nobody takes charge in the political menage, not even in households generally. But I can say that France plays its role, as does Britain and Germany, we all do everything we can to harmonise positions. Reform is a constant endeavour, day to day effort, day in, day out, and we participate fully in those efforts.

    QUESTION:

    Today the Commission is bringing out a report on how the various countries in the EU are complying as far as debt is concerned, and therefore the implications that has for the Maastricht criteria. Do you have any comments to make on where the economy stands at the moment and being able to form a single currency, if we so decide, by 1999?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    The concept of the criteria at Maastricht was originally a British concept. There are good economic criteria, quite apart from their necessity were any nation states to go ahead with a single currency in 1999. I think we will all look at the Commission report with some interest. But as to meeting those sort of criteria, they are the British government’s policy in any event to meet criteria like this for good economic reasons, and we will look at the report with interest. I think we will also look at the report as to how it indicates across Europe the economic readiness for a single currency amongst many of our partners.

    PRESIDENT CHIRAC:

    You shouldn’t believe that the convergence criteria are the only element to be achieved to create a single currency. The convergence criteria are founded on good sense, on common sense, based on sound management of the economy. And one should note that the UK, which has proposed, and very wisely so several years back, have made the necessary proposals regarding the restructuring of its finances, is a country where unemployment has fallen. So there is a link between sound, wise, financial management and jobs. Other countries have not been as wise as the United Kingdom in past years and so they now face deficit problems and unemployment problems. Over and above any other consideration, of course we are making every effort to reduce deficits, to respect the convergence criteria, and we do this, also it is a means of more effectively combating unemployment.

    QUESTION:

    Mr President, would you say that following your conversations today, and those that you will have by the end of your visit, do you think that there will be rapprochement between the UK and French positions on the concept of the EU and the role of nation states in that union?

    PRESIDENT CHIRAC:

    I would say that my concern, ever since I took office, is to ensure that there is the greatest level of rapprochement between British and French views. And I repeat, I want the building of Europe to be effective and I do not think that that construction of Europe can be effective without agreement with Britain. So we discuss and we make progress, I repeat reform, such wide-ranging reform in particular, is an on-going effort. It also involves enhancing dialogue and makes better understanding, and that is what we do, day in and day out.

  • Mr Major’s Speech at Hampton Court – 15 May 1996

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s speech, with Jacques Chirac, held at Hampton Court near London on Wednesday 15th May 1996.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    May I first welcome you all here this evening, but say above all what a particular pleasure it is to welcome the President, and Madame Chirac here to Hampton Court on this occasion.

    We had this morning around two hours of talks, a press conference in Number 10, a fairly busy day for the President and it seemed a good opportunity to offer him a friendly change of scenery this evening.

    Hampton Court has been, for most of its life, a royal palace. Cardinal Wolsey had a great deal to do with its foundation. He had, Mr President, the dubious distinction of leading one of Henry VIII’s first armies rather unsuccessfully I recall against France. And he began to build this in 1514. 12 years later, in a rather vain attempt to curry favour with Henry VIII, he gave it to the King, and without any vain intent to curry favour with Wolsey, the King accepted it.

    It has had a very remarkable history. The game of real tennis was born here in Hampton Court, so was Edward VI. Queen Mary spent her honeymoon here, and so did Charles II. James I organised the conference here which led to the authorised version of the bible. And Charles I assembled many of the magnificent pictures that you see around you this evening and for his pains was imprisoned here after the Civil War. King William died after falling off his horse here. And Queen Anne enjoyed the hunting so much here that even when illness prevented her riding any more she had the parks drained and the parks levelled so that she could hunt by carriage. George I had a rather different quarry, Mr President, he brought his German mistresses here, but we don’t often mention that in polite company. George II was the last sovereign to reside here before Queen Victoria opened the palace to the public.

    And yet throughout all that long history, of which the few words I have mentioned are but a small sample, the palace has had many connections with France, representing the intense interaction between our two countries over the centuries. The dates mean, very sadly, that Henry VIII left for France in 1520 to meet Francis I in the famous field of the Cloth of Gold, but not alas from here, despite the splendid portraits you see that record that famous event.

    Of course the relationship between the United Kingdom and France is not just an historical relationship. It is, I think, Mr President, a living truth. And today Britain and France stand not just as two of the oldest sovereign states in Europe, though certainly as that, not just as two countries each with a proud record of national independence, though certainly of that, but also I think as global partners – both Permanent Members of the United Nations Security Council, Europe’s only two nuclear powers, we share membership of the Group of Seven, of NATO, of the European Union, of the Western European Union and of many other bodies as well.

    We have a trade and political relationship of great depth, one with another. We are each the other’s third largest biggest direct investors and third largest export market. About 10 – 12 million Britons cross the Channel every year to France. 875 British towns are twinned with France, and nearly one-third of those have been established within the last 10 years. And there is, of course, Mr President, a very high level of exchange between our young people and you and I were delighted to announce a further enhancement of that scheme today.

    And we exchange culture as well, not just Cezanne in London for that astonishingly successful exhibition, but this year Henry Moore in Nantes, Frances Bacon at the Pompidou Centre, and a century of British sculpture in Paris. And I even noticed, perhaps at a slightly different level, that a Scottish lady will be singing for France in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, accompanied by a Welsh singer and an Irish piper – a modern manifestation I think of the old alliance.

    A few of you may have noticed in the reception before dinner that we also exchange sportsmen. The new manager of the England football team – Glen Hoddle – who had a marvellous job, and I can’t understand why he should leave it as manager of my football team at Chelsea, but even though he neglected to win Chelsea a championship I look forward to him doing great things with the England team in the future and wish him the best of luck. He is very welcome here this evening. And he of course had a certain role in helping Monaco win the French championship. Chris Waddle of course went one better and helped Marseilles become the first French team to win the European Cup.

    And I mention this, Mr President, because I know of your own footballing interest, Paris St Germain’s most ardent supporter in many ways, and I think very pleased at their recent victory in the final of the European Cup Winner’s Cup. It is not every football fan who can receive his team at the Elysee Palace to congratulate them upon their success. I only hope they look after you extraordinarily well when you are able to watch their home matches.

    May I just touch on one other thing briefly? No evening in the United Kingdom at the moment would be entirely complete without some mention of beef. We are not serving you beef this evening. But I would like to take the opportunity of expressing my thanks to the President, and his colleagues in government, for their support over recent days and their very strong support in the progress that has been made in Brussels today. Some progress has been made today and I think there is every chance that will be carried a good deal further in the early part of next week, on Monday I hope of next week.

    We will be working hard, with the support we have had from France and from a number of other countries in the European Union, in carrying forward the progressive lifting of the ban that at present exists on British beef. I think that is merited and I look forward to that happening as speedily as possible. But for this evening I just want to take the opportunity publicly of thanking the President for his support privately, and his support publicly, so aptly demonstrated in the discussions in Brussels earlier today.

    And let me also add one other point. I would not wish to end this evening without paying a very genuine and heartfelt tribute to the President’s role in enhancing the relationship between France and the United Kingdom. I believe, as we meet here this evening, that it is as warm and as detailed, as friendly and as persuasive in all its aspects as it has been for very many years between our two countries. And a significant reason for that enhancement of our relationship is our guest this evening – the President of France – and I am most grateful to him for that.

    The toasts come later this evening. So let me simply end at the outset by welcoming you Jacques, and you Bernadette, as our guests here this evening at Hampton Court. I welcome you very warmly indeed on behalf of the British government and the British nation. And let me simply say this. I look forward to welcoming you back here and elsewhere in the United Kingdom on many occasions in the future. You are tonight amongst friends and I hope that you will enjoy the evening.

    PRESIDENT CHIRAC:

    Prime Minister, my dear John, dear Norma. When history in fact brought our two countries together in the past it was very often on the battlefield. And here, like in France, the remnants of the past carry the imprint of past rivalry. And on the windows of this magnificent hall we can see in the middle of Henry VIII’s Coat of Arms the proud French cry of [indistinct] which was in fact the war cry of the Kings of France when they went into battle, very often against you.

    Now fortunately times have changed and there is a great feeling of solidarity which presides over the cooperation between our two countries, and it is that same feeling that is very present in my heart today when I am with you here, John, in this magnificent hall, in the middle of my State Visit to Britain.

    Her Majesty The Queen expressed this with great talent when she said that it is true that we don’t drive on the same side of the road, but it is also true that we go in the same direction.

    The very warm welcome that we have received in Great Britain, my wife and myself, I think bears witness to the very strong friendship that now bonds our two peoples together. The very gracious hospitality extended to us by Her Majesty The Queen, and our meeting with Her Majesty The Queen Mother, which I found extremely moving, and with members of the Royal Family, have in fact given us the most unforgettable moments which will remain engraved in our memories.

    During my visit to Parliament, and during the numerous talks that I have had with political leaders and with yourself in particular, Prime Minister, I was able to measure how very much our views and our interests converge, and how very much we share the same ambitions, to build a Europe that should be dynamic and prosperous, respectful of national identities, and to build together a world that should be better, with more justice, more tolerance, more humane.

    I met with the business leaders in the Guildhall and I noted the remarkable potential for innovation and development of British and French enterprises and how very successful they can be when they work together, which I very much encourage them to do.

    These conversations, and the contacts I have had, have strengthened my conviction, which is that France and Great Britain, which are great powers, that both have considerable prestige and international influence, and a remarkable capital you might say of talent and know-how, these two countries must cooperate more together.

    As Winston Churchill said, more or less, history has in fact forged between our two peoples unshakeable, unbreakable bonds that cannot be undone. We have fought together for many centuries. Now we must give each other as much support as we possibly can. And that, my dear John, is the frame of mind which is mine at present and I know that you share these feelings.

    My dear John, we have known each other for a number of years and you have been good enough to give me your friendship, and I have done likewise. The affection – I think I can say – that exists between us, our affinities, are this deep attachment that we share for our cultures, our national traditions, all this gives a special dimension to our working relationships. And personally I quite honestly take great pleasure in this. It is very pleasant to be able to work with someone in this spirit of trust and friendship.

    I think we should say perhaps something also about the subject that is unmentionable, or wasn’t to be mentioned today, in other words beef. But you have broken the tryst, my dear John, and the contract therefore, may I say simply that I am surprised that there is no fillet de boeuf on the menu.

    And could I say that I very much hope that we will be able to strengthen something which is in the very nature of things, in other words a very strong bond of friendship between France and Great Britain.

  • Mr Major’s Doorstep Interview in Paris – 11 January 1996

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s doorstep interview outside the British Embassy in Paris, held on Thursday 11th January 1996.

    QUESTION (Hugh Schofield, BBC):

    Prime Minister, what are your feelings after today’s service at Notre Dame in memory of the late President Francois Mitterrand?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    The sheer size of the attendance, both in terms of people from around the world, and also French men and women, indicates the degree of affection there was. I think that springs from a number of things. Certainly his remarkable service, not just as President of France for 14 years, but in a huge number of positions before that. His tremendous contribution to the development of France and the development of Europe, and beyond that, a rather personal feeling of immense admiration for his courage during his illness over recent years.

    QUESTION (French TV):

    What do you think his legacy will be, particularly on the European front?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    He was clearly one of the architects of the increasing integration of Europe. That has been his main theme over recent years. He has pursued that persistently over many years and with much success. I think that will be a legacy that people will always recall.

    QUESTION:

    But you did not always agree?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think people often under-estimate the extent to which people have a very genuine and sincere admiration for people with whom they may not always agree politically. President Mitterrand was a very big figure in European history. That is recognised today, it will be recognised in due course by history, but his contemporaries understand that as well. In a way we have never seen in previous generations, heads of state and government know each other much better than they once did. They meet much more often. Communications are much better. So quite apart from the political discussions and the political comment, as individuals, as ordinary everyday human beings, they know one another much better than their predecessors could ever have done.

    QUESTION:

    Do you have any special personal memories?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I have met President Mitterrand on a huge number of occasions over the past five or six years. I think the memories I have of him, that will be more vivid, are the private meetings, the private intimacies. The extent to which although there was often a business of state to discuss, that he was perfectly agreeable to sitting down and just discussing some of the everyday gossip of politics and international affairs. Politicians are humans too. They like that in the same way that everybody else does. And he was very proficient at that, with a very wide knowledge of European history.

    QUESTION (French TV):

    He was from a different generation to you. Does his generation offer anything from which lessons can be learned?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think all generations do. If politics was just a preserve of the elderly generation then it would be rather stilted. If it was just the preserve of the younger generation it would be equally stilted. Politics is an ongoing stream. At any time there are elder statesmen with generations of experience and younger politicians as well. I think there is a proper mix between the two. And certainly he gave a great deal from his experience.