The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Tag: Yasser Arafat

  • PMQT – 4 June 1996

    Below is the text of Prime Minister’s Question Time from 4th June 1996.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Engagements

    Q1. Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 4 June.

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

    Mr. Prentice: Does the Prime Minister agree that Camelot’s profits of £1 million a week, and the bonuses of £100,000 being paid to the directors, are simply unacceptable? Why can we not have a non-profit making lottery, as is generally the case in Europe? When shall we start giving money to good causes instead of lining the pockets of fat cats?

    The Prime Minister: Camelot’s post-tax profits are less than 1p in the pound. Camelot has been extraordinarily successful, and the hon. Gentleman ought to be pleased about that, because his constituency has so far received £1.7 million in grants from the Sports Council, the Arts Council and the National Lottery Charities Board. The more profitable Camelot is, the more money will be available in grants for the hon. Gentleman’s constituents and others.

    Mr. David Hunt: Does my right hon. Friend agree that although last night’s decision on a partial lifting of the beef ban is a welcome move in the right direction, what we need is a clear framework for a total lifting of the ban?

    The Prime Minister: I agree. Yesterday’s decision was a further step towards getting the ban lifted, and I am grateful to the Commission and to the increased number of member states that gave their support. We now look to the Commission to live up to its responsibilities and, by following normal procedures, lift the ban on beef derivatives. Of course, we seek not only a lifting of the ban on derivatives but a framework for a lifting of the whole ban–a ban that is not scientifically justified.

    Mr. Blair: I join the Prime Minister in welcoming the lifting of the ban on derivatives, but is the clear framework for lifting the whole ban that he seeks to achieve before the Florence summit to include a time scale–a time by which the ban is to be lifted?

    The Prime Minister: What we seek, what we are discussing with the Commission, and what my right hon. and learned Friends the Foreign Secretary and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food are discussing with their colleagues in Europe, is a clear and staged process towards the complete lifting of the beef ban, based on science rather than on the irrational argument that has sustained the ban thus far. We have put our ideas to the Commission, and they are now under negotiation. At this stage, I do not wish to go into the details of the negotiation; I do not believe that it would be productive or in the interests of the beef industry to do so. We are looking for a proper framework that will allow a staged complete lifting of the ban, commencing as speedily as possible.

    Mr. Blair: I do not expect the Prime Minister to expose his hand on the precise time scale, but will a time scale be part of the negotiation, or not? Is that to form part of the framework, or not? Obviously the issue is when the ban will be lifted, so if a time scale is not to be part of the negotiation, what is the Prime Minister’s expectation? Are we talking about months, the end of the year or a longer time scale?

    The Prime Minister: I said that it would be a staged lifting. We are certainly looking for the beginning of the staged lifting at an early date, but it will be dependent on events that are yet to be discussed with the European Union. It would not be in the interests of the agriculture industry for me to go into the details at this stage, although it is tempting. I know that the right hon. Gentleman and I appreciate that we are talking about the livelihoods of 650,000 people who are involved in the beef industry in this country, many more who are involved in the beef industry across Europe and, indeed, the basis of the European internal market. All that has been put at risk by the unjustified action of other member states. We want the ban to be lifted; we are discussing that in detail. As soon as I have more to report to the House, I shall do so.

    Mr. Blair: I am not clear whether the time scale is to form part of the negotiation. We know that the cost of just the 30-month cattle slaughter policy is about £2.5 billion over the next few years and that there will be additional costs because of other measures. Will the refunding of that cost–at present only about 25 or 30 per cent. is to be refunded–be part of the clear framework that the right hon. Gentleman is seeking?

    The Prime Minister: No. A refunding mechanism for the costs of slaughter has been in place for some time. We are not discussing that matter with the European Union. I am concerned about getting the ban lifted. The ban is not justified and ought to be lifted. On the basis of the science available, what the World Health Organisation has said and the information that we have already made available to our colleagues, there is not in my judgment–or in the judgment of many independent judges–a justification for the ban to continue. I am primarily concerned, as I have said, about the health and future of the British beef industry. That is the matter under negotiation with our European partners.

    Mr. Batiste: My right hon. Friend will be aware of the disastrous loss earlier today of the first Ariane 5 space rocket. While it is still too early to be sure of the reasons for that loss, will he take the opportunity to confirm the Government’s support for the international collaboration that keeps so many fine British companies at the forefront of international science and technology?

    The Prime Minister: As my hon. Friend says, no one is quite certain what happened in the distressing loss of the Ariane rocket. I have not had the opportunity, in the few minutes since the information came through, to determine precisely the scale of British involvement. My recollection is that our involvement in Ariane 5 is relatively modest, although I think that we sponsored one of the satellites on board which would have been lost. Certainly, whatever may have happened, there is a future for co-operation with our colleagues in Europe on that and other matters.

    Mr. Ashdown: The Prime Minister’s policy of declaring war on Europe has resulted in the partial lifting of a ban that everybody expected to be lifted completely even before the policy was adopted. Is it not perfectly clear that nothing has been achieved by that foolish policy that could not have been achieved without it? The cost to Britain has been lost respect and lost influence abroad, and a campaign by his Back Benchers and the press at home of ugly, petty xenophobia, which insults and demeans us all.

    The Prime Minister: The right hon. Gentleman is just being plain silly. No one, as he so absurdly put it, has declared war on Europe. What I said when I announced the policy at this Dispatch Box was that we were not getting the co-operation in discussion on the important issue–important to the right hon. Gentleman’s constituents as well as to mine–that we had a right to expect as members of the European Union. If good will is not shown to us, people must not expect us to show it in return. I am determined that the matter be properly and speedily examined so that we may, first, get a lifting of the beef derivatives ban, which now looks probable in the very short term, and then a framework for a lifting of the complete ban. Exaggerated comments such as the right hon. Gentleman has just made achieve exactly what he accuses my hon. Friends of doing.

    Mr. Butterfill: Will my right hon. Friend join me in congratulating Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on his election as Prime Minister of Israel? Does he agree that, following the recent welcome discussions with Yasser Arafat and, given flexibility, good will and mutual understanding on both sides, there is no reason why the peace process should not continue?

    The Prime Minister: I am happy to congratulate Mr. Netanyahu on his election. The United Kingdom has a better relationship with the state of Israel today than at any stage in the history of that state. I know that the new Prime Minister is determined that that will continue, and so am I. Since his election, the Israeli Prime Minister has made it clear publicly that he wants to continue the peace process and to honour the agreements that Israel has already reached. I welcome those objectives. The House may wish to know that I have already been in touch with the new Prime Minister and invited him to the United Kingdom.

     

    Q2. Mrs. Roche: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 4 June.

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

    Mrs. Roche: I am sure that the Prime Minister will share my delight that one of last Saturday’s jackpot winners is a resident of Hornsey and Wood Green. Will he encourage Camelot to give a fair share of its profits to good causes? Will he also admit that the Government were wrong to set up the lottery in such a way and that the pay of Camelot directors is another example of taking from the many and giving to the few?

    The Prime Minister: Of course I congratulate the hon. Lady’s constituent and those bodies within her constituency that have benefited from the lottery. However, perhaps she has forgotten that Camelot was awarded a licence by the regulator because it convinced the regulator that it could deliver the maximum sum of money for good causes. That is the purpose of the lottery and Camelot has achieved it spectacularly well. It also makes substantial donations to charity.

    Mr. Nicholas Winterton: Does my right hon. Friend accept that, as the hon. Member for Macclesfield, I am very proud of the borough of Macclesfield and its achievement in the recent local elections? Will my right hon. Friend accept an invitation from me and the leader of the council, Councillor Mrs. Margaret Duddy, to visit Macclesfield, where he will receive a warm welcome for the principled leadership that he is giving the Government and the Conservative party, and where he will see how a well-run and accountable local authority is warmly and very well supported by its local electorate?

    The Prime Minister: From what my hon. Friend tells us, Macclesfield is a example to us all. I certainly would be very happy to visit Macclesfield at an appropriate time, but I hope that my hon. Friend will not pin me down to a date.

     

    Q3. Mr. MacShane: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 4 June.

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

    Mr. MacShane: Has the Prime Minister read reports that 77 Republican Congressmen voted to support President Clinton’s move significantly to raise the minimum wage in the United States? As America has the best job creation record in the world, why will he not send Treasury Ministers to see their Republican colleagues to learn how a statutory minimum wage goes hand in hand with fair play and good job creation?

    The Prime Minister: There are very few similarities between the structure in the United States to create jobs and the policies that those on the Opposition Front Bench advocate, which would destroy jobs. If the hon. Gentleman wants to see job creation, he can see it here in the United Kingdom. He will not see it in those countries nearby that have a minimum wage and adhere to the social chapter.

     

    Q4. Sir Michael Neubert: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 4 June.

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

    Sir Michael Neubert: Does my right hon. Friend agree that people who talk tough about fighting crime must understand that we need support measures to act tough? How can any party that opposes our proposals to set up secure training centres for juvenile criminals be taken seriously when talking about curbing juvenile crime?

    The Prime Minister: I very much regret that our proposals for dealing with juvenile criminals did not receive the support of the Opposition, and I am sure that the electorate will have noticed it. I suppose that Labour’s recent proposals for curfews will be adopted for a short while by some Labour Members, but will be ditched after a decent interval. I am not sure that those proposals are workable, as I believe the hon. Member for Glasgow, Garscadden (Mr. Dewar) has suggested. I believe that the hon. Member for Barking (Ms Hodge) has made some more scathing comments about the policy.

  • Mr Major’s Joint Doorstep Interview with President Arafat – 3 June 1996

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s joint doorstep interview with President Arafat, held in London on Monday 3rd June 1996.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Can I just say this afternoon how pleased I have been to welcome President Arafat again to Downing Street. We have had the opportunity of talking both about bilateral relationships, but overwhelmingly about the Middle East peace process. There has been very great progress over the last few years with Mr Rabin, Mr Peres and President Arafat, and I was able once again to congratulate him upon the progress that had been made towards a Middle East settlement. We had the opportunity of reviewing the present situation. We both hope that negotiations will continue towards a peace in the Middle East. We recognised some of the difficulties that existed, but also the opportunities that existed both in the short-term and the long-term. I very much hope that those negotiations will be able to continue as soon as possible and that further progress will be made towards a comprehensive peace in the Middle East. And I assured the President that it is very much Britain’s policy to facilitate that in any way that she can.

    I was also able to indicate that of course we will do what we can bilaterally to help the Palestinian state. The Foreign Secretary set out our views some time ago. We will be able to help a little further with aid and President Arafat knows that there are occasions where he may wish to discuss matters with us of importance both to him and I and that the door of Downing Street is open to him to do that on each and on every occasion.

    PRESIDENT ARAFAT:

    I have to thank His Excellency for giving me this opportunity. We had very fruitful, very constructive talks just now. Especially, as he mentioned, we cannot forget his efforts to strengthen more and more the peace process, not only with the Palestinians and Israelis but in the Middle East, including the Syrian track and the Lebanese track, so that we can have a comprehensive lasting peaceful solution. And I am sure his Excellency will continue this very important role of Britain in this attitude so that we will have this comprehensive lasting solution in the Middle East, in the terracentre [sic] not only between the Palestinians and the Israelis, but in the whole area. Because peace is not only a Palestinian need, not only an Israeli need, not only an Arab need but it is an international need. So we are in need of your help, Your Excellency. And I am sure, as you have mentioned, that I am not alone and I have to thank you from my heart, by my name personally, by the name of my people, for what you are offering for the peace process. And I am sure we will have very soon, with your support, with the support of Europe, with the support of the co-sponsors, America and Russia, and for the support of the international community to have very soon the peace process.

    In front of you I have to repeat again that we are committed to the peace process, we are committed to what has been signed, and hope the others to be committed equally like us. And we are respecting the democratic choice of the Israeli people in the last election and we hope that we will continue with them the peace process.

    QUESTION:

    Chairman Arafat, if you had the opportunity to speak to Benjamin Netanyahu, what message would you give him?

    PRESIDENT ARAFAT:

    To continue the peace process, the peace of the [indistinct] which we have signed was bi-partisan, Mr Yitzak Rabin and Mr Peres, and we have to continue with Mr Netanyahu.

    QUESTION:

    [Not interpreted].

    ANSWER:

    [Not interpreted].

    QUESTION:

    If you expect the peace process to continue, when would you expect Israel to withdraw from Hebron?

    PRESIDENT ARAFAT:

    I hope that the withdrawal from Hebron to be exactly according to what has been agreed upon between us and the Israeli government on the 12th of this month.

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, have you had any contact with Mr Netanyahu?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I have today invited Mr Netanyahu to come to the United Kingdom and I look forward to meeting him again. I met him when he was opposition leader and had the opportunity of fairly lengthy discussions with him. I look forward to discussing the matter with him again. And we are committed to playing whatever role we can as a facilitator of a peace within the Middle East, and to that effect we will continue our close relationship with President Arafat and Prime Minister Netanyahu. I look forward to meeting him.

  • Mr Major’s Joint Doorstep Interview with Yasser Arafat – 27 September 1995

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s joint doorstep interview with Yasser Arafat, held in London on Wednesday 27th September 1995.

    MR ARAFAT:

    First of all, I have to thank His Excellency for giving me this opportunity to come here and to offer His Excellency the whole brief of our very difficult and long discussion until we had achieved what has been achieved between us and our partners and cousins, the Israelis in Gaza and I offered to His Excellency a copy of this agreement and at the same time we can’t forget and I have to offer to His Excellency in my name and in the name of my people our thanks for what he has done to facilitate and push forward these negotiations by all means and in all directions so I have to say to your country from my heart “Thank you very much! Thank you very much!” and at the same time we had the opportunity to speak about the next text and the economic issue concerning the meeting at Barcelona and the meeting which took place in Amman for [indistinct] Conference and help to coordinate together and at the same we cannot forget that His Excellency was the first G7 leader who came to visit us in Gaza which for us meant a lot; it gave us a very big push in our very difficult circumstances so I have to repeat again and again in front of all of you: “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Mr. Chairman, thank you very much indeed! Perhaps I can say that the Chairman is a very welcome guest here at Downing Street today. I have been delighted to renew the discussions that we were able to have in Gaza earlier this year and also delighted to congratulate him most warmly on the remarkable agreement that he has reached with Prime Minister Rabin and Foreign Secretary Peres on the future of the Occupied Territories.

    We hope very much – and the Chairman is very confident – that it will now be possible for elections to go ahead perhaps in December, perhaps in January – the date is to be decided – but it clearly is a very remarkable step forward and I know the Chairman looks forward to signing this agreement in Washington tomorrow.

    I am very pleased indeed that the European Union will play a significant part in monitoring these elections and that the Crown Agents will also be playing a significant role in various matters. We have been able to provide a certain amount of assistance to the Chairman in the difficult circumstances he faced; that will continue. We will look to see where we are able to increase that as a very tangible indication of the please that we have at the progress that has been made towards what has been a very intransigent problem for so very many years.

    I know the Chairman has some very heavy negotiations still ahead of him next year but they have already determined the time-scale at which those talks will start and I think the prospects for the future look a good deal brighter than any that might have been imagined just a short while ago so for those reasons I have been very pleased to welcome the Chairman here today, very pleased to continue the dialogue that we had in Gaza and I look forward to that dialogue continuing both directly between the Chairman and myself and also between my Ministers and his representatives.

  • Mr Major’s Comments on Gaza Visit – 14 March 1995

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s comments on his March 1995 Gaza visit, made in his auto-biography, page 520.

    SIR JOHN MAJOR:

    Not to go to the UN ‘Social Summit’ in Copenhagen in March 1995 was one of my easiest decisions. The Foreign Office pleaded with me to change my mind, as did the Danes. I was told that sixty or seventy other leaders would be at this jamboree, including all the Europeans (though not President Clinton). If I didn’t drop in to deliver the British speech, I was assured, it would look as if we didn’t care about world poverty; and our relations with the host nation, Denmark, would suffer.

    Instead I fulfilled a long-standing commitment to go to Israel, Jordan and Palestine. I cemented strong personal relationships with Israel’s Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and King Hussein of Jordan, and was the first Western leader to visit Yasser Arafat in Gaza, in the newly-established Palestinian entity. I was able to give some modest help to the faltering Middle East peace process by brokering an agreement between Rabin and Arafat for monitors from the European Union to oversee the elections in Gaza. I like to think that I also did some practical good for world poverty, both by announcing a new aid package for impoverished Gaza and by encouraging my travelling party of senior British businessmen to think of investing and purchasing in Jordan and Palestine. Because of the Arab boycott of Israel they had never previously been able to fly from Israel to Jordan, and many of them had concentrated on the more profitable Israeli market.

  • Mr Major’s Press Conference with Chairman Arafat – 14 March 1995

    Below is the transcript of Mr Major’s press conference with Chairman Arafat, held in Gaza on Tuesday 14th March 1995.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    When the Chairman and I met in London 15 months ago, I hoped on that occasion to visit Gaza, and I am very pleased now to have been able to do so. Let me say straight away where Britain stands on some of the issues, and make it clear immediately that we stand four-square behind the peace process that is continuing at the present moment.

    Not only do we stand four-square behind it in principle, insofar as we are able to do so, we are taking practical action to help. We have so far pledged something over 120 million dollars to the Palestinian autonomy, some of it comes via our contribution with the European Union, some from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, and some of it bilaterally. We are seeking to ensure that the money goes where it will help most – to the police for their running costs, and I don’t think anyone will doubt the importance of the police service; the training, we have got a very large training programme and that is going to be supplemented by a new management training initiative to the Palestinian Autonomy; and of course to infrastructure for areas such as water supply, public health, without which firstly no decent society can prosper, and secondly other investment will not appear without that basic infrastructure.

    I had the opportunity this morning of handing over 50 Land Rovers and mini-buses to the civil police, and beyond that there will be further contributions in bilateral aid for a Know-How programme to be spent on public administration, health, water, education and private sector development, and of course the peace implementation programme for infrastructure projects.

    Let me just say a brief word about the Know-How programme. One of the features of that programme, not just here but elsewhere, but certainly here, is in its multiplier effect. It is there to encourage collaboration between British and Palestinian private sector firms. We strongly believe the private sector has a role to play and I have brought with me on this occasion a very powerful team of British businessmen who have had a very useful Round Table discussion this morning with Palestinian businessmen and Palestinian Ministers. This afternoon they will be pursuing individual contacts and I very much hope that this will lead to an acceleration in the levels of trade and the levels of investment.

    I know that the Chairman proposes to pursue free market policies and to welcome investors into the area. And the private sector is a very important engine of long-term growth and a very important engine of long-term employment and prosperity which is so necessary to underpin the peace process.

    Let me say a word about that process itself. The pursuit of peace in the Middle East is neither straightforward, nor is it simple. It has been a difficult year, it has been difficult to make the advances that have been made, and I believe it is very much to the credit of Chairman Arafat and the Israeli leaders that so much has already been achieved. I think it is important to acknowledge the successes there have been, whilst also acknowledging the things that still need to be overcome.

    Further political and economic progress is going to be absolutely indispensable if the ordinary Palestinian is going to have faith in the promise of a better future as a result of the peace process. As I made clear yesterday, the border closures sadly had the opposite effect.

    The next step, I hope, will be to arrange elections that will underpin the legitimacy and the authority of the Palestinian leadership. When I was in Israel I pressed Mr Rabin to press ahead with arrangements so that elections and redeployment can take place.

    This morning I have reiterated to Chairman Arafat the European Union’s willingness to consider coordinating the international observation of Palestinian elections, and the Chairman has indicated that this would be welcome to him. I think this is very good news, I will take that message back to our partners in the European Union and I am sure that they in turn will welcome that statement. There will be many practical arrangements of course still to be worked out. But involvement by the European Union in implementing the Declaration of Principles represents an entirely new departure for European involvement in assisting the peace process, and it does reflect, I believe, Europe’s desire to take a more active part in promoting peace across the region.

    I found my discussions this morning very worthwhile. I hope that the discussions between the businessmen, which we will hear more of a little later today, have been equally successful and I would like to thank the Chairman and his colleagues for their hospitality. We admire the determination with which the peace process is being pursued despite the difficulties inherent in any such process. We will continue to help it both politically and practically and we wish it every success in the future.

    CHAIRMAN ARAFAT:

    We are very happy to have this visit from His Excellency here in Gaza and we had the privilege to meet together and to make a tour all around and we can say that we are very grateful to His Excellency for what he has done for our people and for the peace process from the beginning for the support of his government and his people, great support for the peace process. We had a very successful and very positive discussion this morning and I am sure that he will continue in pushing the peace process, especially as you know we are facing some problems and we are facing the delaying of the implementation of what had been agreed upon. But I am sure that with the continuing support from His Excellency, from the European Union, from the co-sponsors from the others, we will be able to have the stability to carry on the peace process, especially on the Palestinian track.

    We discussed also the European role for the elections. As you know, we have a permanent mission and a permanent committee, a European Committee, a European Mission, to help us in preparing for the peace process, for the election, and at the same time we have sent many groups to Europe for training. And we are very grateful for His Excellency to accept what we had discussed with His Excellency this morning about the very important role for Europe in supervising the next election which we hope will be able to take place very soon and without any delay. As you know, this has been delayed for more than nine months and we hope that we will be able to have the election very soon, including the redeployment from the rest of the West Bank. And I have to thank His Excellency for his efforts in pushing forward the peace process and the implementation of what has been agreed upon.

    At the same time, we are proud that we have these strong bilateral contacts at all levels and we cannot forget this very important discussion which I had in London and which we had today in Gaza, and we have to thank His Excellency and his government for the permanent support which we are receiving at all levels, by all means, financial effort, training effort and other support, so that we can have the ability to build and reconstruct the infrastructure which had been destroyed during the Israeli occupation.

    Many thanks for coming, Your Excellency, and many thanks for your efforts and many thanks for what you are doing to help us in pushing forward the peace process. At the same time we cannot forget this big and very important delegation which accompanied Your Excellency, I mean the British businessmen, and now they are discussing with Palestinian businessmen many important issues and coordination at all levels so that we can have more financial support, more economic support and more experience from them to follow-up the very difficult mission to re-build and reconstruct what had been destroyed during the occupation. I have to thank you, Your Excellency, from my heart, for this visit and for you support which we cannot forget. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

     

    QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, what is your impression on the situation here; and how do you see the role of England in pushing the peace process forward, there was news during the British occupation of Palestine that they took the money… [inaudible]

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Let me take those points in the order that you presented them to me. As far as the impression is concerned, it is very difficult to form an impression in the very brief period that I have been here and I think it would be unwise of me to generalise about that. What is self-evident is the tremendous task that lies ahead. A start has been made, as you go round you can begin to see hotels, tower blocks, housing beginning to be built. One can see as you drove in some superb beaches which in due course might be a very remarkable local asset for bringing in a substantial amount of tourism. All these things lie in the future so one can see many of the things that need to be done, the nursing training college I have just been to see where they were talking about the plans to build a new hospital. So there is a great deal that is beginning to happen. But the immediate impression is firstly that things are beginning to happen; but secondly that there is an enormous task that lies ahead to carry that beginning forward to provide the right infrastructure and the right well-being for the people who live here.

    As far as what the United Kingdom can do, I think there are two things really essentially the United Kingdom can do. It can play its role politically and diplomatically in assisting the only people who can reach a peace, and that is the representatives of the Palestinians and the Israelis, they are going to reach the peace, we can contribute to that, and we should contribute to that, but it is essentially going to be for them to do. The other area where I think there is a role is in the area of practical assistance, and that was what I was talking about a few moments ago. I don’t think I need elaborate upon it.

    On the Barclays Bank point, that is a wholly novel point to me, I will reflect upon it.

    QUESTION:

    [Not interpreted]

    CHAIRMAN ARAFAT:

    [Not interpreted]

    SIMON WALTERS (THE TIMES):

    Mr Arafat, some people have compared the IRA’s armed struggle in Britain to the PLO use of violence in the past. The British Government now wants the IRA to renounce violence and to commit itself to peace. Would you advise Mr. Gerry Adams, the leader of the IRA’s political wing Sinn Fein, to do that?

    Mr. Major, there are reports at the White House from Downing Street that the US President tried to reach you by phone to discuss the Adams issue and couldn’t get through and that you couldn’t get through to him. What is happening, Sir?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think it was yesterday, Simon, you asked me to unveil my correspondence with the President and I declined to unveil my correspondence with the President. We write and we speak regularly. I have no doubt we will speak over the course of the next few days. As you have been with me, you will know I have been fairly mobile over the last couple of days but the President and I speak often and if he wishes to speak to me, we will speak. That is equally true the other way round, if I wish to speak to him we do so. If he has been pursuing me I am sure he will find me soon and since you told me that is the case, we will make sure that he does.

    CHAIRMAN ARAFAT:

    This is an old question I heard during my visit to Britain and during my visit to Ireland and no doubt we are appreciating too much the line and the peace process everywhere and I am encouraging all the partners everywhere not only here, not only in Ireland but everywhere throughout the peace process.

    SIMON WALTERS:

    Should Mr. Adams renounce violence as you did?

    CHAIRMAN ARAFAT:

    I am not giving lessons to anybody but I am supporting this initiative taken by Prime Minister Major and the Prime Minister of Ireland.

    JOHN CRAIG (LONDON DAILY EXPRESS):

    On that same theme, the Prime Minister was making the point yesterday that the next stage of the peace process in Northern Ireland is for the IRA to hand in their weapons; he was saying to us that the ball is very much in the IRA’s court. Would you say now that the IRA must be going to decommission their weapons, lay down their arms?

    CHAIRMAN ARAFAT:

    What I have mentioned is clear to the audience.

    QUESTION:

    Mr. Major, if the position of a solution is very well known why have the plans of Mr. Douglas Hogg to come to the country been changed?

    Secondly, is it likely that the latest position may change under the pressure of the Jewish community in Britain?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    The British position on Jerusalem has been clear for a very long time and in the Declaration of Principles that was signed by the Chairman and by the Prime Minister of Israel that is a matter to be determined in the final status negotiations and it can only be determined by them, it can’t be determined by Britain, by the United States, by anybody else, it has to be determined by the people who are part of the negotiations. Our position is well known and our position is consistent, has been for very many years and has not changed but that is a matter that will have to be determined between the representatives of the Palestinians and the Israeli government.

    The British position on Jerusalem is that we acknowledge the de facto position. We understand and we have acknowledged that for a very long time but we believe it is a matter that is going to have to be determined between the Palestinians and by the Israelis. In the meantime, neither side should take unilateral advantage of the present situation until that matter is determined in the final status negotiations.

    I would add a further point, if I may. I don’t actually think it is terribly helpful when there are negotiations like that for third parties to express views publicly. I don’t think it actually is helpful so our view has been perfectly clear, it isn’t going to change under pressure of any sort.

    QUESTION (ASSOCIATED PRESS):

    Mr. Major, you referred earlier to supporting the running costs of the Palestinian government but in the past the Western powers have been hesitant to pay for the running costs and Mr. Arafat’s official recently have expressed a desire that this is continued for an extended period in which running costs are covered. Does your country still support that donor countries should pay for Palestinian running costs and various other government expenditures?

    Also, how do you respond to criticism that for all the pledges and promises have been made, the Western powers and donor countries have been exceedingly slow in actually providing direct aid?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    On the second point, a substantial amount has been disbursed in the last year, rather more I think will be disbursed this year. I made the point earlier when I met the businessmen that that is going to be necessary and I think that is going to be necessary in the future. There is a genuine problem with running costs. We have been able to help in some ways in the past with police salaries for example where there was a substantial contribution last year. Running costs are going to be a partnership and I think on that partnership basis it can be helped by the collection of taxes by the Palestinian authorities and contributions by donors. I suspect both of those things will be necessary and I think we will be very happy to look at that.

    QUESTION:

    [in Arabic, not translated]

    CHAIRMAN ARAFAT:

    [in Arabic, not translated]

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister Major and Chairman Arafat, at what stage are the talks on the deployment of observers for the elections and have you got any idea of what it would cost, how many people and is this part of the overall plan for assistance to the Palestinians?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    The details of those discussions lie ahead. We have discussed the matter this morning and I will take back the position I described to the conference earlier to my partners in the European Union but the detail points you raised are important detail points but they yet have to be discussed with my colleagues in Europe and with others.

    QUESTION:

    Mr. John Major, what is your position concerning the increasing settlement activity in Jerusalem and in……..?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Under the Declaration of Principles, it is perfectly clear that there shouldn’t be more settlement activity and that is our position and had been known for some time.

    CHAIRMAN ARAFAT:

    [in Arabic, not translated]

    QUESTION:

    [indistinct, but relating to whether the Prime Minister expected more peace negotiations and whether that would make the peace process more successful]

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I certainly look forward to that. I think the way in which one gets from the beginning of the process to the end of the process is by taking each of the hurdles in front of the negotiators one at a time. That has operated very successfully between the Chairman and the Israeli government in the past. I think that is the only way they can continue in future. I think the 1st July target that has been set is very welcome, I hope it is met.

  • Mr Major’s Speech in Presence of Chairman Arafat – 14 March 1995

    Below is the transcript of Mr Major’s speech made on 14th March 1995 in the presence of Chairman Arafat.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Chairman Arafat, distinguished guests.

    We have a saying in Britain that a week is a long time in politics. I have no doubt that that is as true here as it is in London. But if a week is a long time, then how to measure thirteen years? For that is the time since my last visit to the Occupied Territories.

    Little could I foresee, back in 1982, the huge changes in your circumstances – and in mine – before I returned to these lands. The Palestinian Autonomy is still at an early and formative stage. It is vital for the stability of this region and the future of its peoples that the Autonomy – and the peace process as a whole – should succeed. I have come to offer our support and our help. I have also come to look ahead.

    The future is uncertain, and the path ahead strewn with potential pitfalls. But the goal of a lasting and peaceful settlement continues to provide hope to all the peoples of the region. Its single-minded pursuit retains a compelling logic. The search for peace, after decades of violence and hatred on both sides, was never going to be easy. It is bound to be a gradual and sometimes frustrating process, as you try to build a new future for your people.

    But I am sure that in choosing to seek a permanent peace, you have chosen well. Britain will fully support your efforts in that direction. We want to see peace established on the basis of Security Council Resolutions. We believe that it can only be achieved by direct negotiations between the parties, with the support of the international community. We especially value, as I know you do, the active encouragement of President Mubarak.

    The first requirement is to implement the Declaration of Principles: to press on with re-deploying Israel’s armed forces on the West Bank and so clear the way to free elections as soon as possible. I have been encouraged to hear from both Mr. Rabin and Mr. Peres yesterday and from you today, Mr. Chairman, of some recent progress. Elections are essential to strengthen the Autonomy and to weaken the opponents to peace.

    Indeed, it remains crucial to intensify efforts against those resorting to violence. A lasting peace requires security – for both sides. This security will need to be vigorously sustained if progress is to be achieved.

    The Declaration of Principles also stipulates that a number of crucial issues, including settlements and the status of Jerusalem, should be reversed for the final status negotiations. Meanwhile, the status quo should be respected, and nothing be done by either party to seek unilateral advantage. It is most important that that principle should be upheld.

    But it is essential that while the negotiations continue, people should see improvements in their daily life. This will be very important in sustaining popular support for the peace process without which it is far less likely to succeed. I hope that the recent progress in your talks with the Israelis will, for example, lead to easier movement from Gaza to the West Bank.

    Beyond these political issues, however, it is perhaps in the economic field that the international community can contribute most. The Norwegian Government have worked especially hard to co-ordinate international assistance. So has the World Bank. And I saw for myself this morning the effectiveness of UNRWA.

    But the European Union remains by some way the major donor. The Union is providing 580 million dollars of new aid. We are establishing a Know-How Programme for the Occupied Territories worth some 7.5 million dollars to help your managers and your businessmen, your water engineers and your health administrators, to build up their own institutions. It will also encourage involvement by the private sector.

    One such example involves co-operation between Palestinian and British companies, in particular Marks and Spencer, in a project with the Palestinian Autonomy and the British Government to help develop Palestinian skill in making garments for export, and so increase employment in wealth-creating ways.

    This morning I handed over fifty vehicles to the Palestinian police, who, as you know Mr. Chairman, have been a particular focus for Britain’s bilateral aid. This follows our substantial contribution last year towards police salaries, and our provision of management and other training for you officers.

    As I have said, the maintenance of security is an essential pre-condition for the successful pursuit of peace. Without it, neither Palestinians nor Israelis will be prepared to make the commitments necessary to achieve a lasting settlement. By enabling your police force to improve security within the Palestinian Autonomy, I believe that these vehicles, and the other help that Britain has provided, will make an important contribution to furthering the peace process.

    Aid can never be the whole story though. Britain’s experience is that prosperity springs from private enterprise. That is why I welcome the policies for a free market which your Administration have adopted. What Palestinian businessmen need now is opportunity.

    So I am especially glad to have with me today a very powerful trade delegation. They stand ready to help in developing your private sector. I am sure that the discussions with their Palestinian counterparts this morning have thrown up some really useful pointers; and I am glad that there will be opportunities to pursue these individually this afternoon.

    Mr. Chairman, the Palestinian people have suffered much for too many years. I recognise the scale of the problems that still confront you. But you have taken a decisive and courageous step. We in the United Kingdom offer full support to the peaceful search for a lasting settlement for your people.

  • Mr Major’s Speech at Chairman Arafat’s Lunch – 14 March 1995

    Below is the transcript of Mr Major’s speech at a luncheon hosted by Chairman Arafat at the Palestine Hotel in Gaza on Tuesday 14th March 1995.  [Small parts of the original text are inaudible, marked with ….]

    PRIME MINISTER:

    …. still remains to be determined, some of them are very crucial issues, settlements and the status of Jerusalem, they are to be referred to the final status negotiations, and in the meantime the status quo should be respected and nothing done to seek unilateral advantage, and I think it is important that that principle is upheld.

    And I think it is equally important to ensure that the negotiations continue and that people see an improvements in their daily lives whilst those negotiations, which may be protracted, continue to go on, and I believe that will be very important in sustaining the popular support for the process that is so necessary for its success.

    Beyond these fields perhaps it is in the economic area that the international community can contribute most, and a number of people have done so, and I saw for myself the effectiveness of some of the work that has been done, and some of the help that has been provided. The European Union remains by far the major donor thus far, providing something approaching 600 million dollars over five years, of which approximately one-fifth comes from the United Kingdom. We will also help in a number of other bilateral ways, but I need not on this occasion. We shall sustain our bilateral aid and I have been able to make a further improvement to it today.

    What we equally seek to do is to encourage, as far as it is practicable, the involvement of the private sector. There are a number of areas of cooperation and some of the key British Chairmen who are part of that cooperation are sitting around this table this morning. I was delighted to hand over 50 vehicles to the civil police this morning as part of our bilateral aid. That and other areas of help have been provided in the past and I am confident will be provided in the future.

    But the maintenance of security is going to be the essential pre-requisite for the successful pursuit of the peace negotiations. Without it, I suspect neither the Palestinians, nor the Israelis, will be able to make the commitments necessary to achieve a lasting settlement. By enabling your police force to improve security within the Palestinian Autonomy, I hope that those 50 vehicles, and the other help that my country has been able to provide, will make a further contribution to helping that peace process by offering reassurance both here and elsewhere as for the maintenance of peace.

    Aid cannot be the whole story. Private enterprise has its own role to play and I need not …. to this particular audience of all audiences, except to say that it is very necessary that private enterprise has the confidence to play its role in the future, and I very much hope that it will.

    Mr Chairman, I have only had a very brief opportunity of having a look at the difficulties faced by the Palestinian people who are present here …. they have suffered a very great deal for a very long time. There are problems on the most enormous scale that face you, I recognise the scale of those problems. But what I believe is beyond doubt is that you and the Israeli government have taken a very courageous and a very exciting step in advancing the process against many difficulties on both sides in advancing the process as far as you have got. I believe that you deserve the support of the international community as you try to advance that process even further and I believe the international community owes it to you as well, to help facilitate the circumstances in which private enterprise itself can …. standards right across the Middle East, and I believe that is the only way forward for all of us.

    Let me simply conclude by thanking you for your hospitality on this occasion, and …. yesterday, and say that we and the United Kingdom will continue to offer all the support we can for the peace process in the hope that it will provide a lasting settlement not just for the Palestinians, but for the Palestinians, for the Israelis and for the wider Middle East. That is the goal that is in front of people and I think it is one that is very worthwhile seeking.