The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Tag: Pakistan

  • Mr Major’s Arrival Statement in Pakistan – 12 January 1997

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s arrival statement in Pakistan, made on Sunday 12th January 1997.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I am delighted to be visiting Pakistan at the start of your Golden Jubilee. Over those years, the United Kingdom has proved itself one of Pakistan’s leading friends and supporters; and I am glad to have this opportunity to reaffirm the importance we attached to our relationship. The United Kingdom is committed to supporting Pakistan’s development as a prosperous liberal and democratic Islamic state. As long-standing partners, we know each other well, and work well together.

    Pakistan is currently passing through a period of political change. It is not my purpose, or my business to make observations on the present election campaign. But I am pleased to note that elections are due on 3 February, as originally announced, and in accordance with the Constitution. I wish all the parties contesting the elections well. Britain, like other members of the international community will be sending observers to watch the election process.

    I have come to Pakistan with my colleague Ian Lang, the President of the Board of Trade, and a team of senior British businessmen. They have come because they recognise Pakistan as a market of promise, with the highest average GDP growth in South Asia over the last 15 years, and perhaps the region’s most liberal and deregulated economy. Some of the companies they represent have long-term investments here already; others are looking at the opportunities.

    Over the last two years, British companies have invested more in Pakistan than has any other country: concrete evidence of our commitment to Pakistan’s market. Bilateral trade is now worth over billion US dollars annually, up nearly 50 per cent since 1990. The UK is poised to become Pakistan’s top overseas investor. What British businessmen will continue to be looking for are sound and determined economic policies and a prospect of real returns including over the medium-term.

    We have other links too. We work closely together in administering one of the UK’s largest overseas aid programmes, focused particularly on the development of employment. We have an extensive series of cultural exchanges, which will be particularly active in this 50th anniversary year. And we have the strongest ties of all between our communities: nearly 1 per cent of the British population are of Pakistani origin.

    So I much look forward to my visit. Times such as these are the true test of friendship. That between the UK and Pakistan has proved itself repeatedly over the last 50 years. I fully expect that it will continue to do so. One such opportunity is now. It is a pleasure and an honour to be here.

  • Mr Major’s Briefing en route to Calcutta – 8 January 1997

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s on the record briefing en route to Calcutta, on Wednesday 8th January 1997.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I don’t want to take your time for more than a second. Just really to say that I hope you will enjoy the trip, you know where we are going, I think Jonathan has taken you in detail through the agenda, so I won’t traipse through all that again.

    The genesis of this visit was a meeting I had with the Confederation of Indian Industry at Downing Street last summer, June/July, I forget precisely when it was, it was the day that Ganguly was taking a very large 100 off England at Lords, I can tell you that, but I can’t remember the exact date. And they invited me to come and address their main event of the year, which will be their seminar on Thursday afternoon, when I hope to deliver a fairly substantial speech, largely about international trade, markets and business-related matters.

    When they invited me to come, and I accepted, it seemed a suitable opportunity to bring with us a business delegation and I think you have seen the size and composition of the business delegation.

    It isn’t the biggest ever to leave the United Kingdom, but it is probably as high powered as any that has ever left the United Kingdom, I think Ian Lang and Michael Heseltine have both taken larger numbers of businessmen but I don’t think there has been a better quality in terms of seniority of British businessmen travelling abroad on a single trip in the past.

    This isn’t a trip to look for short term contracts. There will be quite a few contracts signed when we first get there, but they are not the product particularly of this visit, they are the product of a great deal of work over the last few months. The businessmen who are here are largely here looking for long term contracts. The Indians are extremely good to do business with, but contracts don’t get signed and sealed in a day, so they will be here as part of a long term relationship with India and I hope we will be able to open a few doors for them that otherwise might have remained closed. Certainly we are discussing with some of the businessmen the sort of things that we can do that might be helpful for them.

    While we are here also we will take an opportunity of looking at some of the aid projects. We want to look at some of the drug liaison effort that is going on, that is one of the principal reasons for going to the Khyber Pass, apart from its historical significance, and a chance for seeing the Khyber Rifles. So hope it will be both a worthwhile and an interesting trip.

    We are going on also to Bangladesh, I have never visited Bangladesh before, and on to Pakistan. In each of the three countries the purpose of the visit is predominantly trade, perhaps a little less so in Bangladesh, but certainly a trade interest in Bangladesh as well.

    I don’t think there is really much more I wish to say at the outset. If you have any questions on business-related matters, or the visit, I will happily try and answer them, or pass them on to Ian if they fall into his bailiwick.

    What I would just suggest in conclusion, if it appeals to any of you. I suggest when we have finished this brief discussion that we might go a little back in the plane and have a glass of champagne, or two, and we will try and persuade the businessmen to come and join us and you will be able to get a feel perhaps from them if you wish to of the advantages that they see of the visit.

     

    QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

    QUESTION:

    There were a couple of pieces in the paper today about how tense the situation is in Pakistan. Is it your plan to see Benazir Bhutto and obviously people are going to ask would you be willing to meet Imran Khan if he was available?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I don’t think there are any plans for me to meet Imran Khan, though I have met him before in the past of course. I know Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto quite well, we have met many times in the past, and I think it is highly likely I will see both of them. I should add that I don’t intend to get involved in internal Pakistani domestic politics, but I have known both of them of old, it would be extremely odd if I didn’t meet them.

    QUESTION:

    A few question marks have been raised about the fact that you should be going abroad when there is so much happening at home and the election campaign is under way. Do you think that it is a bit odd to leave things without you in charge while so much is going on?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think helping our trade effort abroad is quite important as well. The election is important when it comes in due course but the normal activities of government have to go on in the interim. And here we have the 50th anniversary of Independence in India, I think that is a pretty significant event in India and it is a pretty significant event as far as the United Kingdom are concerned too, so I certainly wish to mark the beginning of that with a visit, and of course the trading interest which continues.

    So I think it is quite right. Government and the normal activities of government have to proceed. The election is important, it will come in due course, but it doesn’t dominate or eliminate all other activities in government, I think it is quite right to come.

  • Mr Major’s Speech to the CBI Investment Conference – 30 November 1994

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s speech to the CBI Investment Conference on Pakistan, held on Wednesday 30th November 1994.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Prime Minister, Mr Chairman, my Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen. It was a very great pleasure earlier this week to welcome the Prime Minister back to the United Kingdom that she knows so well. While we had been standing there over the last few moments, she and the President of the Board of Trade have been discussing days at Oxford, commenting upon the Cambridge members of the Cabinet – almost entirely favourably I should tell you, and clearly they have a great deal in common on those particular matters. But then we have a great deal in common with Pakistan on many matters. The Prime Minister and I met and had a discussion at the Commonwealth Conference in Limassol a year or so ago and on that occasion we discussed the prospect of having just such an occasion as this and from what I can see standing here, it looks to me as though this morning has been outstandingly successful and I am delighted that it has proved to be so.

    Of course Prime Minister, you have a huge number of friends in this country and I think it is self-evidently the case that you have a huge number of friends in this audience as well. We had the opportunity at Downing Street on Monday to discuss a very wide range of matters. There was certainly no shortage of things to talk about. Bilateral matters, trade and commercial matters of course and at some length. Regional matters and matters of joint interest across the Commonwealth of which both Britain and now thankfully, once again, Pakistan are prominent members. I found it extremely useful to have the opportunity to discuss so many issues in such depth and the Prime Minister and I, although time limited on that occasion, could undoubtedly have talked on for many hours about the matters of interest to us.

    But those talks in no sense ended at Downing Street. They sparked off a series of detailed discussions that the Prime Minister has subsequently had with other members of the Government, both as I recall from Oxford and Cambridge Colleges, over the last day or so. The Prime Minister has seen the Speaker and other leading Parliamentary figures. And discussed key aspects of the United Kingdom and Pakistani relationship with the Foreign Secretary, with the Defence Secretary, with the President of the Board of Trade, with the Minister of Overseas Development. In fact looking at your programme Prime Minister, it seems to me that thus far at least this week you have seen more of my Cabinet than I have. I shall consider in privacy whether that is desirable or not.

    When we discussed the idea in Cyprus of having this Investment Conference we decided to remit it to be taken forward and I’d like to express my thanks to the CBI for their role in this but above all my thanks to all of you for being here and turning what seemed to the Prime Minister and I to be an excellent idea into a living reality that is likely I believe, to lead to a substantial increase in trade and investment between our two countries. I strongly support the development of this relationship, strongly support the Conference that we’re having here this morning because there is beyond a shadow of doubt a very large potential to build on in our commercial and other relationships.

    Britain and Pakistan are not new friends. We’ve had a friendship. Occasionally an odd edge of friction, as is so often the case amongst even good friends in the Commonwealth, has emerged in our relationship. But it’s a lengthy relationship and it is a very deep relationship across a very wide range of issues. Even before this morning of course, before the signing of a £1 billion of new welcome business between our two countries, there was a great deal of business done between Britain and Pakistan. Our trade last year was almost entirely in balance. British exports to Pakistan went up significantly by around 8 1/2 per cent and we are the fourth largest exporter to that country and we are of course also the second largest foreign investor in Pakistan and I very much hope to see an acceleration of our investment there. I would like to see us do better and I think we can do a good deal better in this bilateral relationship. There hasn’t been a better time for British exports and British exporters, as our trade figures show, at any time in our long history and that record in overseas investment of British companies placing their confidence in overseas countries including Pakistan. Our record in external investment is truly remarkable and I think that is a very great strength for British industry and for the British future.

    The Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement which the Prime Minister and signed this morning will help to reinforce those economic links. Not create them, but reinforce them. Provide another element upon which we can build a larger and better relationship and it was, if I may say so, a particular pleasure to have the opportunity of signing it before an audience that has a great relationship already between Pakistan and the United Kingdom and an audience that represents much of the best of industry and commerce from both of our two countries. In Pakistan Prime Minister, you are in the midst of building a modern Muslim state. Easy to say. Less easy to do. It takes a great deal of political courage to undertake many of the changes that the Prime Minister is seeking to bring about in Pakistan. It is easy to set the objective. That is never a difficulty. What is more difficult is to determine how you reach that objective step by step, difficult decision by difficult decision, overcoming obstacle by obstacle and yet that is the task in which the Prime Minister and her government are engaged in Pakistan at the moment.

    Much has been done. Much that is remarkable has been done. You have introduced bold and important economic changes, restructuring, liberalisation, privatisation – I’m not sure yet whether you have privatised the Post Office, but I recommend it. A little chat with an Oxford colleague will tell you all the advantages of privatising the Post Office. Advantages that I wholeheartedly endorse and look forward to the day when they are wholeheartedly endorsed by a large number of other people as well. Some of those changes Prime Minister are inevitably painful and difficult, but they are necessary and the fact that you are seeking to bring them about, their introduction I believe is remarkably enhancing Pakistan’s image amongst overseas investors and trading partners and I think if I may say so, the evidence for my assertion is sitting in front of you, businessmen, British businessmen, a fairly hard-headed bunch in my experience. Charming of course, wise of course, the epitome of all the virtues of course but hard-headed. And yet they have formed their judgement of the changes that are being made in Pakistan and it is a favourable judgement and I believe as a result of that there has rightly, in my view, been a sea change in British companies perception of Pakistan, of their role in Pakistan and of the extent of the business and commercial relationship that can exist between our two countries. So our economic ties are growing and I think beyond a shred of doubt they will grow further. The agreements that we’ve just witnessed covering areas from hydro-electricity to tourist infrastructure testifies very eloquently to that and I hope that the Investment, Promotion and Protection Agreement will foster that growth and I hope too, that areas in which I believe Britain has unrivalled expertise could also be put to good use in Pakistan. We certainly have unrivalled expertise in all the mechanisms of privatisation and I know that is an area of great interest to Pakistan and one where I believe the United Kingdom can offer a great deal of advice and assistance as your programme rolls ahead.

    I know, Prime Minister from our discussions in Limassol and elsewhere, that you share my belief, Britain’s belief, in free trade. The United Kingdom has fought hard for free trade within the European Union. And I have to tell you from time to time we have to fight hard for free trade in the European Union. You and I Prime Minister have both argued exactly the same case concerning GATT at the Commonwealth Conference and together Britain and Pakistan, you and I, our respective Ministers, are committed to working for greater trade liberalisation around the world and I think the very strong support for the GATT/Uruguay Round by both Pakistan and the United Kingdom illustrated that very clearly.

    As we meet here on this occasion, Pakistan offers a favourable and an open environment for foreign investment. Many British companies have already recognised this. Many more in the future I am sure will come to recognise this and I am sure that today’s Conference and your very welcome visit here, will encourage many others to do so.

    So let me just conclude by saying this. That I wish you a very successful Conference, not just a successful Conference, but a Conference that plays its own part in identifying trading and investment opportunities between our two countries. There is no doubt, no doubt whatever, that those trading and investment opportunities exist. What we need to do, the Government, but above all businessmen in both countries, what they need to do is to root out and develop those opportunities and then bring them about. I’m here this morning Prime Minister and you’re here this morning because we both share the wish that that is precisely what will happen. That the trade we have seen will not just be sustained but will grow and flourish in the future. I look forward to a future Conference on another occasion with the same cast list once again assembled, but perhaps in a much larger venue with a much larger cast list, when we can report a much larger trade and investment flow between our two countries. That this will happen I have no doubt and when it does happen we may be able to look back on this occasion and on this Conference as the catalyst for bringing it about. Thank you for being here this morning.

  • Mr Major’s Joint Press Conference with Director General of CBI – 25 January 1993

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s joint press conference with the Director General of the CBI, Howard Davies, held in New Delhi on Monday 25th January 1993.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Can I say at the outset how delighted I am to have been invited to be India’s guest on Republic Day, I believe it is the first occasion that a British Prime Minister has been invited and honoured in this fashion and I am delighted to have had such a remarkable privilege.

    I think in one sense this does indicate with great clarity the changing and improving relationship between India and the United Kingdom. What is equally clear and has been wholly clear to me in my discussions today, is the extent to which India is changing and opening its doors a good deal more widely to the world. It is no coincidence, I believe, that shortly after I leave President Yeltsin will be arriving and Chancellor Kohl will be there very shortly after that.

    I have had the opportunity today to have discussions with the President, with the Vice-President, with the Prime Minister, the Minister for Home Affairs, the Minister of Finance and the Minister for External Affairs. It is absolutely clear to me that relations between the two countries have I believe never been closer since Independence. There are nearly 1 million people of Indian origin living in Britain, they play a very prominent part in the life of the United Kingdom. We have a very large amount of foreign investment in India, our exports last year to India were very nearly 1 billion pounds and India of course remained by far our largest aid recipient.

    My reasons for coming here, apart from the invitation, were threefold; firstly political, second economic, and thirdly commercial. Politically I have been able to reaffirm our support for India’s deep-rooted democracy, I think it is extremely important and remarkable achievements have been made over the past 40 years or so. In particular I welcome the strength with which the Indian government has reaffirmed its commitment to the rule of law, to the secular constitution and to tolerance and protection for minorities.

    In our discussions today I have reaffirmed our cooperation, our joint cooperation, in the fight against terrorism and I have confirmed also that we are fully committed to using our law to this end.

    I have had the opportunity, with the Prime Minister in particular, of discussing the issue of greatest concern to them and their neighbour Pakistan – namely Kashmir. I believe that is essentially an issue for the two governments themselves to resolve, albeit with the strong encouragement of their friends. The principles which underlie our approach to this problem I think are well known, we wish to see a dialogue between India and Pakistan, a genuine political process in Kashmir and respect for human rights and an end to external support for violence in Kashmir.

    On the economic front I was very pleased to hear from the Prime Minister of India’s determination to pursue her programme of economic reform and liberalisation. That is not something we would have heard just a few years ago, today it is a very clear clarion call to the future that forms a central part of India’s policies. And one of the things that emerged from my discussions and from the separate discussions with British businessmen has been the commitment of all concerned to that reform and the belief that that reform is already bringing results. I believe that India will see the benefits of her perseverance in terms of large scale support from the IMF and more relevantly in terms of economic results here in India. We have as a country very long-standing commercial ties with India, but one change that economic reform has certainly brought about is that it is now much easier for private sector companies to do business directly with the private sector in India and they are certainly very keen to do so.

    I have brought with me to India one of the most senior groups of British businessmen ever to come to India and with them Howard Davies, the Director General of the CBI. Some very significant contracts are under discussion. I am certainly delighted to tell you that British Gas has this afternoon agreed a 100 million pound joint venture project with the gas authority of India for a natural gas distribution project in Bombay. And British Aerospace has today signed an agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics for software. A number of other contracts are being discussed and are due for agreement. We want to build on that, by we I mean the governments of India and the United Kingdom and the private sector in both countries as well. We seek to translate India’s economic reform into a revitalised commercial relationship.

    Yesterday, British businessmen met their opposite numbers in business and also met senior government officials. They have launched their initiative, they have launched a partnership initiative led not by government but by the private sector. On our side the group will help increase awareness in Britain of the opportunities to do business with India. Prime Minister Rao and I have agreed this morning to give this initiative our personal support and we have asked for a report on the progress made, and the achievements made, critically the achievements made, to be given to us at the end of this year and I have no doubt that Howard Davies will say a little more about this in a minute. But it is that partnership that will lead to more investment and to more exports. Each of the businessmen has said that he will be pursuing the contacts made during this visit and those of you who may have spoken to the businessmen will know how enthusiastic they are about the opportunities opening up.

    India already is the world’s 14th largest economy. Other countries are already moving to build on the opportunities that that represents. British investment in India will help India’s economic reform, export growth will lead our domestic recovery, there is a joint interest that both of us wish to exploit. We have as two countries an historic relationship. In this visit we have been looking to develop a modern partnership as well and I believe it has been very fruitful and we have begun to do that.

    MR DAVIES:

    For the benefit of Indian journalists here I should point out that the CBI in England is not the Central Bureau of Investigation and emphasise the Prime Minister is not under investigation, not from me.

    From the business point of view, this has been an outstandingly successful trip. The Prime Minister has announced two particular deals involving British Gas and British Aerospace, I mentioned a third yesterday involving Cadbury’s increased investment in India.

    British Gas have today reached agreement with the gas authority of India to form a joint venture company to supply natural gas to the city of Bombay. The investment by the new company will total around 100 million pounds but the significance of the agreement is broader since it puts British Gas in pole position in the development of natural gas in India which could lead to between 1.5 – 2 billion pounds worth of business in the longer term. And there will be many opportunities within those contracts for other British suppliers.

    British Aerospace signed a contract today with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to found a joint software company, it involves a satellite link between Bangalore and Warton in Lancashire so that software engineers and designers in India may work jointly with their colleagues in Britain. Clearly that is a further strengthening of the link between the aerospace industries of India and the UK.

    Other companies on the team have been in active negotiation around the main meeting and much other progress has been made, further important contracts are expected in power generation and elsewhere.

    All these negotiations have been hugely assisted by the Prime Minister’s presence here and by the access to decision-makers that that has guaranteed for the business team. We have had a very interesting programme and we are extremely grateful to the Indian side for their hospitality and indeed for the patience with which they have answered our detailed questions.

    I mentioned yesterday our meeting with the businessmen and the Permanent Secretaries on Sunday. Today the business team met the Ministers of Commerce and Finance and then we collectively reported back on our discussion to the two Prime Ministers, a very unusual type of meeting but which was a great privilege for us. We said that we had been very impressed by the commitment to liberalisation and reform, this had been evidenced by all the Indians we had met. We did, however, press for further progress on liberalisation and indeed suggested a private sector-led initiative to raise the awareness in Britain of opportunities for trade and investment in India, matched by a similar effort over here. We believe the timing for such an initiative is exactly right since the opening of the Indian market gives a lot of encouragement to British companies who have been here already and who propose to invest.

    The British effort will be led by Robert Evans, the Chairman of British Gas, with CBI help and the Prime Minister has agreed to support, provide a secretariat and other assistance, for that initiative and that applies on both sides. We will report back to the Prime Ministers in a year on the progress made and the group of business people here are very committed to pursuing that.

    Particularly perhaps of interest to the British press, a couple of hours ago in London the CBI’s most recent quarterly industrial trend survey was issued. It showed the sharpest increase in business confidence for 5 years with strong optimism about export prospects. One-third of manufacturers were more optimistic about exports than four months ago. Prices in export markets for British manufacturers are not a problem, the main remaining restraint on exports reported by 40 percent of companies is political and economic conditions abroad. That from the business point of view is the context for this visit, the government in partnership with industry trying to create more favourable conditions for British exports and investment. We have been asking for more government support for exporters for some time and now we are getting it. The business group is very chipper as a result and for a number of them this has been a nice little earner and I cannot translate that into the Anglo-Indian idiom.

     

    QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

    QUESTION (Dubai Gulf News):

    During your meeting today with the British media, you are reported to have told them by way of explaining the British Government’s position on Kashmir, that any solution to the Kashmir issue should take account among other things of the aspirations of the people – I think you used the expression “the population of Kashmir”. My question is would you please elaborate what you meant by this particular word “aspirations”, whether it is another word for “referendum” and did you discuss this with the Indian Government as apparently in your opening remarks you did not make any reference to that particular word “aspirations”?

    Secondly, by “Kashmir” do you mean all the parts in India and Pakistan?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I am not quite sure from where you got that quote or what detailed interview people are supposed to be referring to but it is certainly a novelty to me. Yes, I did discuss the matter with the Prime Minister this morning; I discussed it privately as an old friend of India, indeed as an old friend of Pakistan as well, we are all members of the Commonwealth.

    I don’t believe advice on how to deal with this problem best comes publicly from third party governments. Any comments in detail I may have upon it I think are best given privately to the Prime Ministers concerned and that, other than the general position I set: out in my statement, is what I will maintain.

    QUESTION (Charles Wright, Evening Standard):

    Prime Minister, can I ask you just on a domestic note since Howard Davies has mentioned it, your reaction to that rather encouraging CBI quarterly trend survey and on a less happy note here, your thoughts about the stories about various terrorist threats?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    If I can deal with the domestic matter first, I am clearly delighted. I have not had a chance yet to study all the details of the survey but one of the necessary ingredients for lasting recovery is confidence amongst companies at home about their prospects at home and their prospects to export. If that confidence is there, the other basic ingredients encouraging people to develop their companies and for the economy to grow are clearly in place: lower interest rates than we have had for a long time; the inflation rate well under control, far lower than we have had for a long time; and also a very competitive exchange rate so the ingredients for investment and for recovery are there. The missing ingredient for a long time has been the confidence amongst businessmen themselves that they will be able to build on the economic scene at home. So to that extent, it is very good news indeed that we have this survey showing such dramatically increased confidence; I look forward to it being translated into dramatically increased action and that of course is a matter for the private sector. I very much hope that they will be able to do that.

    On the second half of your question, I am entirely content with the security arrangements that have been made here. We had been in touch with the Indian authorities for some time about security matters during this visit and all those discussions have been entirely satisfactory.

    I think probably the threats you refer to come specifically from our commitment to the extradition treaty. I have no reservation about that treaty whatsoever. We, by which I mean the Indian Government and the British Government, are two governments amongst many that have to deal with international terrorism. Terrorism is a problem that each and every government across the world will need to combat and they will often need to coordinate their efforts so I don’t believe any threats, wherever they may come from or for whatever reason they may come, change the necessity to deal with the terrorist threat in each and every country around the world so I am perfectly content with the security arrangements that have been made.

    QUESTION (BBC):

    Prime Minister, you have made a friendly offer of help, if invited by Pakistan and India, in resolving the Kashmir dispute. If invited, how do you envisage the role of the United Kingdom, in what capacity in that unresolved problem? If not resolved during a period, what kind of pressure or what kind of persuasion do you think you can exercise?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I am glad you asked that question because it enables me to clarify a misunderstanding that I have certainly seen reported in a number of newspapers.

    At no stage have we suggested or have I had it in my mind to suggest that Britain should be an intermediary between Pakistan and India. At no stage has that been our intention and at no stage has that suggestion been made.

    This difficult and intractable problem will not, I believe, be solved by an intermediary; it will be solved by the governments of India and Pakistan.

    What we have said is that as longstanding and close friends of both countries, as a senior member of the Commonwealth, we are keen to see them get together and do what they can to solve the problem and if they believe that there is any way in which we or others can assist, then we are there prepared to be asked for that assistance but it is not for us to artificially offer to broker a solution. I don’t believe that would be appropriate, we have not done it and we are not going to do it.

    QUESTION (IMPAH):

    Mr. Prime Minister, did you talk to the Government of India about Indo-British military cooperation because their latest problem is about the Air Jet trainer? Did you speak to the Prime Minister about that?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We spoke about a number of matters including that one, yes.

    QUESTION (LADY ALSO FROM IMPAH):

    Prime Minister, some temples were demolished in your country recently. What action is your government contemplating on that if any at all?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Wherever people break the law, they are subjected to the rigours of the law and all such matters of that sort are investigated by the police and where appropriate, action is taken. Our law requires that and that is what happens.

    SAME LADY:

    Is your government planning any action or why hasn’t taken any action so far?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    It is a matter for the police. Where action like that occurs, it is a matter for the police and the police will and are dealing with it.

    QUESTION (TV Asia, London):

    With more than one million Indians settled in Britain, would it not have been encouraging if you had included an Indian businessman in your delegation?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    It wasn’t entirely my delegation. I would have been delighted to have brought an Indian businessman with me and perhaps on a future occasion I will be able to do so.

    I am delighted that the Indians are playing a much greater role both in the business community and increasingly in politics in the United Kingdom. I think there have been very great advances on both those fronts over the last few years and I thoroughly welcome that.

    I hope on a future occasion we will have some Indian businessmen but I suppose it is possible that they may think their contacts here perhaps don’t require them to come with me!

    QUESTION (Yugoslavian News Agency TANYUK):

    Mr. Prime Minister, recently you said to the “Hindustan Times” that Great Britain is playing a leading role in resolving the Yugoslavian crisis. Tell me please, what are you going to do about this Croatian aggression in the United Nations protected areas populated by Serbs where in two or three days many Serb civilians were killed?

    Secondly, are you actually going to take steps towards lifting the unjustified sanctions on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia or are you going to persuade and continue the politics of punishing Serbian people only because they did not agree to and the degradation of their country?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    With respect, I am not entirely sure I agree with some of the premises upon which you base that question. I think some of them are contentious and you will be unsurprised to know that I don’t accept them.

    As for our position on the general crisis in Yugoslavia, I think there are several points that I might justifiably make about the position of the British Government.

    Firstly, the London Conference and the Vance-Owen peace proposals spring essentially from the conference I chaired during our Presidency of the European Community. The Vance-Owen team have made far more progress, I think, than many people may have imagined. There is still more to be done; there is still no agreement on the maps that they, have presented to the various parties but the progress that they have made thus far has been astonishing; few people would have expected it; I am delighted it has taken place and they must continue their work. I believe a political settlement is the only satisfactory conclusion that we will get out of the present difficulties that exist in Yugoslavia.

    The second point I would make is about the immense degree of hardship faced by many people especially – not universally but especially – in Bosnia and I believe the part that the United Kingdom has taken in the delivery of humanitarian aid both by the humanitarian agencies and provided by the United Kingdom and also provided by others – but a very large amount of the aid, the medicines and the food was provided by the United Kingdom – and also the fact that we have far more troops working to assist the delivery of humanitarian aid in Bosnia than any other country shows that in a raft of ways we have played a leading role in seeking to bring this affair to a conclusion and to minimise suffering until such time as it does end.

    On the specific point about Croatia, I think the right way to deal with the problems in Croatia and elsewhere is through the Vance-Owen dialogue and I know that is being pursued.

    QUESTION (Business Standard, Calcutta):

    I would like to know whether the recent communal disturbances in India have in any way influenced British perceptions on investment in India and also whether Britain would like to influence public opinion in the West on this issue?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Why ask me when you have the Director-General of the Confederation of British Industry here? I will ask Howard to reply.

    HOWARD DAVIES:

    I think that it has not. British business people have been concerned by those disturbances because of the human cost which is upsetting to business people in Britain as it is elsewhere but we do not interpret that as being about the economic reform programme and we have been assured that that programme proceeds so I think that we as business people not wishing to involve ourselves in purely political matters have set that aside and have concentrated on what we have heard from the Government about the reform programme. Nobody who was planning to come on the trip didn’t come as a result of that news so we have pressed on regardless.

    QUESTION (Economic Times):

    You mentioned a lot of interest of the business delegation and all this has come without any progress on our labour laws. Has there been some assurance from our Government regarding something done on this or are the labour laws not so important for the British businessmen?

    Secondly, Mr. Prime Minister, there were some reports saying that there was some softening or a more sympathetic stance from the British towards India’s views on the Non-Proliferation Treaty. What discussions regarding this have you had with our Prime Minister and what are your views?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Clearly, every aspect of economic relations dealing with competition in the country is of interest to us so we are very keen to see the liberalisation in all its aspects that the Indian Government are moving towards.

    I believe the extent to which they have moved in the last two years has astonished many people and delighted India’s friends and I am in no doubt after my discussions today that the Government propose to move more towards liberalisation. Clearly, they will have to take some things at a measured pace and it is not for me to predict which measures they will deal with most speedily but I think they are very conscious of the need for changes.

    On the Non-Proliferation Treaty, I think everyone around the world wishes to see the extension of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. What I have said is that I can understand the difficulties faced by a number of countries in particular circumstances. I understand India’s position on the Non-Proliferation Treaty. I would still like India and Pakistan and other countries – the 32 who have not yet signed it – I would like to see all those countries signing the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The more one gets non-proliferation as a common cause, the easier it is for the two superpowers in particular but the other nuclear weapon-holders as well to begin increasingly to scale down their own nuclear capacity and believe that is something that every sane person would wish to see.

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, are you aware of the sentiments of British Hindus regarding the closing of a Rama Krishna temple in London?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    No. I have not had any discussion with them about that. I am aware of the case but I have had no discussions with them about it but very probably the Home Secretary will have done and he was here very recently; he may well have responded to questions like that.

    QUESTION:

    Mr. Prime Minister, after talking with your Indian counterpart, I think you are satisfied with India’s new economic policy. In 1997, Hong Kong is going to China. Will you advise your Hong Kong people or Indian people that India is the right place, “You have no need to go to UK or USA for settlement, India is the right place for investment!”?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    There is a lot of investment available in a number of countries and if I may restrict myself to India, I think there are many very good reasons for looking to the future of India with confidence and for deciding that now is a good time to invest in India but it is easy, if I may say so, for a politician to say that. More relevant is the fact that with me are a series of businessmen who are not only prepared to say that but at this moment they are prepared to commit themselves, their companies, their future and their money confident in the future of India. I believe they have made a wise judgement in doing that.