House of Commons Hansard Debates for 14 Apr 1993

Hansard

House of Commons

Wednesday 14 April 1993

The House met at half-past Two o'clock

PRAYERS

[Madam Speaker-- in the Chair ]

NEW WRIT

For Newbury, in the room of the hon. Mrs. Sybil Judith Chaplin, deceased.-- [Mr. David Lightbown.]

Oral Answers to Questions

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Russia

1. Mr. Ancram : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Russian Foreign Secretary over the last four weeks on relations between the United Kingdom and Russia ; and if he will make a statement.

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Douglas Hogg) : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs met Mr. Kozyrev in Moscow on 2 April, and will see him in Tokyo tomorrow, with our G7 partners. I also met Mr. Kozyrev in Moscow on 27 March. Our relations with Russia are excellent. In our contacts we have repeated our support for the economic and political reforms which President Yeltsin and his Government have pursued.

Mr. Ancram : I thank my right hon. and learned Friend for that full reply. Will he assure the House that, at this time of considerable political uncertainty in Russia in the lead-up to the referendum, he and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will make it clear to their counterparts that future aid, both technical and economic, from this country in particular and the west in general will be contingent on continued economic and political reform, continued improvements in human rights and swift withdrawal from the Baltic states?

Mr. Hogg : My hon. Friend is entirely right. The purpose of supporting economic change in Russia is, at least in part, to support the process towards genuine political pluralism. Therefore, we want to make it plain to all that our support is dependent on that continued process ; at the same time, we want to ensure that such economic aid as we make available is most likely to underpin a genuine restructuring of the economy.

Mr. Winnick : Is there full agreement between Russia and Britain on the need for substantial progress in South Africa? Have the Russian Government and the British Government come to the conclusion that what happened over the weekend--the tragic assassination of Chris Hani--was a terrible disaster? I hope that the British

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Government will make their views known clearly and publicly as soon as possible. Does the Minister agree that it should be made perfectly clear that the peace process in South Africa should continue-- [Interruption.]

Madam Speaker : Order. The hon. Gentleman is totally out of order. The question relates to relations between the United Kingdom and Russia. If the hon. Gentleman has a question directed to that subject I shall hear it, but he must not abuse the House as he is doing.

Mr. Winnick : Does the Minister agree that both Russia and Britain should come to the conclusion that the peace process in South Africa should continue as quickly as possible ?-- [Interruption].

Madam Speaker : Order. We will now move on. I call Mr. John Marshall.

Know-how Funds

2. Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the know-how funds available for eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : The purpose of the know-how fund is to support economic and political reform in central and eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and the Baltic states. Since the fund was launched in 1989, we have spent more than £100 million. The budget for 1993-94 is £54.3 million.

Mr. Marshall : May I thank my right hon. and learned Friend for that answer and congratulate the know-how funds on being much more cost- effective than the European bank for reconstruction and development, the excesses of which are an affront to the people and the taxpayers of this country ?

Mr. Hogg : I shall certainly accept that compliment in the spirit in which it was tendered.

Mr. Janner : Does the Minister know that the President of Lithuania, the governor of his bank and others are in this country at the moment searching for more help from the know-how funds and generally ? Does the Minister accept that now is the time for such help to be given while those countries are on the path to democracy and seeking to remain with the west ? If the Government wait too long, there may be disaster.

Mr. Hogg : I certainly agree that economic aid plays an important part in underpinning and supporting political reform. However, it is important to keep in mind the fairly limited nature of the know-how funds and their principal purpose, which is the transfer of technical know-how. That said, if the Lithuanians have proposals that they wish us to consider, I shall be willing to have them examined.

France

3. Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on relations with France.

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Tristan Garel-Jones) : We enjoy close and friendly relations with France based on many shared interests, included membership of the European

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Community, the Security Council, NATO, the Group of 7 and many other international organisations. In recent years close practical co-operation has increased as a result of the world-wide role of our two countries. We expect the close relationship to continue with the new Government.

Mr. Oppenheim : Is there not something faintly disreputable about a country which expects to be able to export a high proportion of the food that it produces but which takes minimal action against its own producers when they burn lorry loads of live English lamb and wreck consignments of fish? Should we not gently tell our French partners that they have no right to deny European consumers, who already subsidise them through taxes, a wider and freer choice of food by trying to wreck the GATT round which has been so painstakingly negotiated and which is so near to a successful conclusion?

Mr. Garel-Jones : France is our third largest trading partner. My hon. Friend is right in the sense that France has not only a population similar to that of the United Kingdom but similar consumer interests. I certainly believe that the French stand to gain more from an open market approach than from the sort of protectionist approach that my hon. Friend mentions. We have no reason to believe that the French Government are about to adopt protectionist policies. The new Government have inherited some difficult policy decisions but remain committed to working within the European Community framework for a successful conclusion to the GATT round.

Mr. Skinner : Is the Minister aware that it is no wonder that France has friendly relations with Britain when we consider that its trading surplus with us is very large and that we are running a trade deficit with France? Part of the reason for that is that we subsidise French electricity and then kindly buy an amount equivalent to about 6 million tonnes of coal. If this Minister and the Tory Government had any guts at all, they would tell the French that we intend to cut the interconnector and save the British pits.

Mr. Garel-Jones : This Minister and this Government believe in free trade. It is our intention and our policy, wherever possible, to ensure that the British consumer gets the best value, whether in energy, food or in any other matter.

European Foreign Policies

4. Mr. Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next proposes to have discussions with his European Community partners concerning the development of common European foreign policies.

Mr. Garel-Jones : We meet our European partners regularly to discuss the strengthening of intergovernmental co-operation on foreign policy.

Mr. Knox : Does my right hon. Friend agree that the foreign affairs and security provisions in the Maastrich treaty build on the concept of political co-operation, which was an important part of the Single European Act? Does he further agree that this country has played a major part in the development of that political co-operation?

Mr. Garel-Jones : My hon. Friend is absolutely right. European political co-operation and the single market

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were two of the great achievements of the Single European Act. The Government have played and will continue to play a forward role in European political co-operation and in the common foreign and security policy when it is set up after ratification of the Maastricht treaty.

Mr. Charles Kennedy : Does the Minister agree that those of us who support ratification of the Maastricht treaty must be mindful of the criticisms being made of western Europe and the European Community--by, among others, Baroness Thatcher last night--in relation to the tragedy in the former Yugoslavia? Will the Minister take the opportunity to remind the House and others outside that what that means is that we must ratify Maastricht, build on those provisions and move towards a more united and coherent defence and foreign policy for the European Community as a whole so that tragedies of that nature within our own perimeter of influence can be much more urgently addressed?

Mr. Garel-Jones : I agree with the hon. Gentleman to the extent that he hopes for a peaceful settlement in Yugoslavia. That rests on the Vance- Owen initiative, which has been strongly supported by the European Community and this Administration.

Mr. Cyril D. Townsend : Has my right hon. Friend had an opportunity to discuss with his opposite number in Paris the possible withdrawal of General Philippe Morillon from his United Nations command in Bosnia? Will my right hon. Friend pay tribute to that highly controversial general, who, none the less, has shown great dedication to the cause of the United Nations and whose courage is exemplary?

Mr. Garel-Jones : I shall be travelling to Paris on Friday to meet my new opposite number. I will not hesitate to pay tribute to the courage and dedication of General Morillon.

Dr. John Cunningham : Does the Minister accept that, where possible, European Community foreign policies should be welcome and effective? In that connection, will he work with our European partners to construct a common foreign policy towards South Africa, and particularly to assist in progress towards a democratic, non-racial South Africa? Should not Europe unite in condemning the appalling brutal murder of Chris Hani, which is a tragedy for the whole of South Africa? Should we not also welcome the statesmanship of Nelson Mandela in appealing for calm and continued progress and work towards a democratic, non-racial South Africa?

Mr. Garel-Jones : I certainly join the right hon. Gentleman in applauding the approach that Mr. Mandela has taken. I think that Mr. Mandela and this Government are right to believe that the best tribute to the man who has been assassinated is to continue to pursue the peace process. Certainly the European Community, through the election monitors it has sent and the police training it has offered, is supporting the democratic forces for change in South Africa.

Mr. Peter Bottomley : Returning to the question put by the hon. Member for Ross, Cromarty and Skye (Mr. Kennedy), does my right hon. Friend agree that what is needed is not just the courage shown by the French general and many of the troops of all nations in the United

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Nations force in the former Yugoslavia, but to build on the emotional demands for a rational way forward so that we make matters not worse but better?

Mr. Garel-Jones : I certainly agree with my hon. Friend. Like me, he will not be surprised that many Members and also people outside the House feel very strongly about what is going on in the former Yugoslavia, given the horrific nature of the events taking place there. Nevertheless, the course that the Government and the European Community have pursued--that of support for the Owen-Vance initiative, difficult furrow though it is to plough--is the right one.

Middle East

6. Mr. Watson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further steps he is planning in support of the middle east peace process.

10. Mr. Streeter : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of the middle east peace conference.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : The American and Russian co-sponsors of the middle east peace process have issued invitations to a further round of bilateral negotiations in Washington on 20 April. The Israelis have accepted the invitation. The Arab parties are in Washington this week for consultations, which we hope will result in their agreement to resume negotiations.

Mr. Watson : Will the Minister join me in welcoming the acceptance by the Israeli authorities of the appointment of Mr. Feisal Husseini as leader of the Palestinian delegation to the peace talks? Does the Minister accept that that gives at least some hope of a way forward, particularly as Mr. Husseini is from east Jerusalen and is a resident of that city? In terms of legitimising the position of east Jerusalem as an occupied territory, in line with EC policy, can the Minister confirm that one way to move forward the peace talks would be for President Clinton to urge the Israeli authorities to adopt resolutions 242 and 338 so that the peace talks could begin to move forward in a meaningful way?

Mr. Hogg : I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Feisal Husseini a little whole ago. I certainly recognise the important role that he plays in the peace negotiations and I welcome any step that promotes that role. As to resolutions 242 and 338, it is important for all of us to recognise that negotiations within the peace process must move forward on the basis of those two Security Council resolutions.

Mr. Streeter : While recognising the frustration of many Palestinians, does not my right hon. and learned Friend roundly condemn the recent murderous attacks on Israeli citizens and soldiers in parts of the occupied territories? Does he agree that that does not contribute to the peace process? Will my right hon. and learned Friend continue to put pressure on moderate Palestinian leaders to reduce the level of violence and give peace a chance?

Mr. Hogg : My hon. Friend makes a very real point. About 69 Palestinians and 22 Israelis have been killed since the beginning of this year. That is lamentable. Escalating violence is something that we all deplore as

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strongly as we can, and it reinforces the importance of all the parties getting back into bilateral talks as speedily as possible.

Mr. Ernie Ross : The Minister will have seen reports in the press at the weekend of the death of Mohammed Suweiti, a citizen of Hebron, who was unable to travel from Hebron to Jerusalem for essential hospital treatment because of the closure of the west bank. Does the Minister not agree that the closure of the west bank and the division of the occupied territories into three is itself a form of collective punishment? If we are to encourage the Palestinians to return to the peace table, does the Minister agree that one of his roles is to seek assurances from the Israeli Government that they, as an occupying power, accept their responsibilities under the fourth Geneva convention?

Mr. Hogg : On the latter part of the hon. Gentleman's question, yes, indeed--the fourth Geneva convention applies to the occupation by the Israelis of the occupied territories. To take the hon. Gentleman's question more broadly, he is right indeed to deplore the fact that both Gaza and the occupied territories have been closed and that the flow of occupants of those two areas into Israel where previously they worked is very restricted. That will not promote a peace settlement. We need to do all that we can to persuade the Israelis to lift the burden of the occupation.

Mr. Rathbone : In the light of the Palestinian slaughter and the deportation of Palestinians from Israel, can my right hon. and learned Friend tell us how the talks with representatives of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation are going?

Mr. Hogg : I am not quite sure to which group of people my hon. Friend is referring at this point. What we want to do is to see all the parties to the bilaterals return to those bilaterals as speedily as possible. That means accepting the invitation to attend on 20 April.

Mr. George Robertson : May I reinforce two of the points that the Minister has made to the House? First, I join him in condemning all the violence in the occupied territories and in Israel, wherever that violence comes from ; none of it helps the peace process, nor will it lead to an ultimate solution for either side. Secondly, I join him in welcoming the reports that the Israeli Government are willing to recognise that Mr. Feisal Husseini, a resident of east Jerusalem, should be given his rightful position as the spokesman and leader of the Palestinian community in those talks. That would be a step forward--as would the rumoured move by the Israeli Government to allow some long-standing exiled deportees to return to their native land for the first time in many years. As the Minister pushes the urgency of the middle east peace process further and further up the agenda, notwithstanding all the competition that it faces, will he ensure that the Israeli Government comply both with international law and with international civilised standards so as to ensure that whatever punishment they mete out to the civilian Palestinian population is not so disproportionate as the present decision to close off the occupied territories seems to be?

Mr. Hogg : I thank the hon. Gentleman for his first two points and for the support that he has given the

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Government. I agree entirely about welcoming the possibility of allowing people who were deported some considerable time ago to return to Israel and I agree with the general point about the proportionality of any response to acts of violence, but it would be very much easier for the Israeli Government to make progress in the talks if the violence being committed by the Palestinians were to stop.

Mr. Batiste : Does my right hon. and learned Friend agree that the peace process in the middle east would be much enhanced if all middle eastern states signed the international convention banning chemical weapons and had equal opportunities to participate in the watchdog organisation set up under that convention? What steps is he taking to promote that process?

Mr. Hogg : The point that my hon. Friend makes about the chemical convention, in particular--and, by implication, weapons of mass destruction in general--is wholly correct. We want all the parties to ratify, and thereafter implement, the chemical warfare convention. We must work to achieve the removal from the middle east of weapons of mass destruction, but those desirable and essential objectives are unlikely fully to be achieved unless and until there is a general settlement within the framework of the current peace process.

Maastricht Treaty (Danish Referendum)

7. Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Danish Government about the forthcoming referendum on the Maastricht treaty.

Mr. Garel-Jones : My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed this and other issues with the Danish Foreign Minister, Mr. Helveg Petersen, in London on 22 March.

Mr. Salmond : Did the Foreign Secretary at any stage communicate to his Danish counterpart the view held by Members both for and against Maastricht and also substantially by people outside the House--that Maastricht is exactly the sort of constitutional issue which should be decided by the people in a referendum? Is there any prospect of the Government accepting that strong viewpoint and changing tack, or will they merely depend on Labour Front-Bench spokesmen to bail them out in the vote next week?

Mr. Garel-Jones : No, there is no such prospect : the Government, like previous British Governments, will depend on the will of the House.

Sir Teddy Taylor : Has the Minister been able to clarify whether it remains the position of the Government that they will not seek to invite the House to approve the Third Reading of the European Communities (Amendment) Bill until after the Danes have had their second referendum? Is that still the position?

Mr. Garel-Jones : Yes, that remains the position.

Mr. Spearing : Does the Minister recall that in a recent written answer he stated that the obligations placed on Denmark by the treaty on European union signed at Maastricht were not changed by the decision reached intergovernmentally at Edinburgh? In that case, will not

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the question that the Danish people have to answer on 18 May be substantially, if not exactly, the same as they answered previously?

Mr. Garel-Jones : I recall that answer, but the question put to the Danish people and the answer that they give are matters for the Danish Government and the Danish people and not for me.

Hong Kong

8. Mr. Anthony Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Governor of Hong Kong's constitutional proposals for the colony.

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Alastair Goodlad) : We support the Governor's proposals for broadening democracy in Hong Kong. We have long wanted to hold discussions with the Chinese Government on these proposals with the aim of achieving a smooth transition in 1997. We and the Chinese Government announced yesterday that talks on these issues will start in Peking on 22 April.

Mr. Coombs : Does my right hon. Friend agree that the fact that talks are now resuming with China vindicates the firm position taken by the Governor of Hong Kong on extending democracy in Hong Kong? Will my right hon. Friend confirm that representatives of the Hong Kong community will be at the negotiations, and will he ensure that the Chinese do not use the negotiations as a means of prolonging the process to prevent the introduction of the electoral law and the widening of democracy in the 1995 elections in the way that the Governor wishes?

Mr. Goodlad : I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his opening remarks. As we have said, the talks are between the two sovereign powers. The British representative will be Sir Robin McLaren, Her Majesty's ambassador in Peking. Other officials from the British and Hong Kong Governments will participate in the talks in exactly the same way as they have in the past.

On the question of timing, we and the Hong Kong Government need to have legislation in place in good time for the district board elections in 1994 and the Legislative Council elections in 1995. We therefore want quick progress, but there is quite a lot of difficult ground to cover.

We are going into these talks with the aim of reaching an understanding, but not at any price. It remains an essential point for us and the Governor that elections held under British administration should be fair, open and acceptable to the people of Hong Kong.

Dr. Bray : Is it the Government's intention to continue to consult widely the people of Hong Kong, including their elected representatives in the Legislative Council, during the progress of the talks with China?

Mr. Goodlad : Yes, Madam Speaker.

Mr. Ian Bruce : Can my right hon. Friend tell the House whether he feels that the Chinese Government are keeping to the letter and spirit of the treaty between the Government and the Chinese Government on the handover of Hong Kong's sovereignty in 1997 ? Judging from China's record so far, does he believe that China will

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keep to the treaty after the handover ? Do we have any way of renegotiating the treaty or getting out of it if we feel that China is not meeting its obligations ?

Mr. Goodlad : The Chinese leaders say that they will abide by the joint declaration and the Basic Law. Under the joint declaration, we are of course responsible for administering Hong Kong until July 1997.

Mr. Rogers : We warmly welcome the recommencement of talks as laid out in the proposals announced yesterday. However, may I say that we hope that, during future negotiations, the minimal democratic propositions put forward by the Governor are at least adhered to and that, in whatever negotiations come about, the people of Hong Kong will finally have a say, rather than the British Government alone ?

Mr. Goodlad : I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman. As I said, our aim is to reach an understanding with China on arrangements to ensure that the elections will be fair, open and acceptable to the people of Hong Kong. If we reach an understanding with China, the British and Hong Kong Governments will recommend it to the Legislative Council and it will be for it to pass the necessary legislation.

Bosnia

9. Mr. Illsley : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's involvement in Bosnia.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : Britain is playing a major role in efforts to restore peace in Bosnia and to provide humanitarian relief for millions of civilians caught up in the conflict. We are the largest single national troop contributor to the United Nations protection force in Bosnia, escorting relief convoys. Our troops and aid workers are doing a magnificent job in difficult and often dangerous circumstances. We have also devoted considerable material resources to the aid operation.

Mr. Illsley : Will the Minister take this opportunity to distance the Government from the suggestions made by Baroness Thatcher which, if implemented, would perhaps lead to an extension of the conflict in Bosnia, to the further killing of military and civilian personnel and would perhaps jeopardise the humanitarian aid effort? Does he also agree that the situation in Bosnia cannot be allowed to continue and that existing sanctions should be properly enforced and tougher sanctions implemented?

Mr. Hogg : The broad nature of the policy that we are currently pursuing is, I think, the right one and the one to which we should hold. We need to continue to put all the pressure that we can on Serbia to get Serbia to induce the Bosnian Serbs to sign up to the Vance-Owen plan. That must be the heart of the policy. I think, too, that it is desirable that the sanctions be yet further tightened. As the hon. Gentleman will know, there is a draft resolution to hand, but, for reasons that I think are good, it has been decided to defer the vote on the resolution until the end of April--but I hope that if the resolution is passed its implementation will be immediate and that no grace period, has proposed in the original draft, will be provided.

Mr. Cormack : I do not wish to do anything other than praise the bravery of our British troops, but may I ask my

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right hon. and learned Friend to agree that our right hon. and noble Friend Baroness Thatcher, with whom I do not always agree, spoke for many people yesterday when she talked of the sense of horror and shame that people throughout this country feel when they see our troops having to stand by while women and children are shot down? Will my right hon. and learned Friend talk to the Foreign Secretary on the telephone today and ask him to summon an urgent meeting of his fellow Foreign Ministers so that we can begin to act a little more effectively?

Mr. Hogg : My hon. Friend is clearly right when he describes what is going on in Bosnia as a tragedy and a crime. I do not suppose that a more appalling set of events has taken place since the end of the second world war. But on the question of shame--no, I cannot agree with him, because I look at what British troops in Bosnia are doing. We have 2,600 men there performing acts of great courage and gallantry. We--or rather, I should say, they--have escorted some 448 convoys conveying something like 33,399 tonnes of supply. I am proud of that contribution.

Mr. Jim Marshall : Does the Minister accept that Lady Thatcher is not alone in believing that the present arms embargo plays into the hands of the Croats and the Serbsthat the Bosnian Muslims will at least be able to defend themselves against the atrocities being committed against their nation?

Mr. Hogg : I do not try to deny that a case can be argued for lifting the arms embargo, but I put to the House two considerations that point in the opposite direction. The first is that if we were to lift the arms embargo for the Bosnian Muslims I believe that others would speedily supply arms to the Croats and the Bosnian Serbs. That would not bring about an early ceasefire. The second consideration, which I find even more persuasive, is that it would take time for the arms to be delivered to the Bosnian Muslims and even more time for those people to be trained and expert in their use. I ask what would happen in the meantime ; and I answer that rhetorical question by saying that the Bosnian Serbs would be likely to redouble their aggression so as to grab yet more land against the possibility that the Muslims might be in a better position thereafter.

Mr. William Powell : Is my right hon. and learned Friend aware of the continuing horror caused by the evidence of alleged war crimes in the former Yugoslavia, not least that now forwarded by the International Red Cross to the special commissioners appointed under UN resolution 780? Is he aware that under resolution 808 the Secretary-General has to report by 22 April on the proposals to establish an ad hoc tribunal to try and, if necessary, punish people alleged to have been engaged in war crimes? Will he do all that he can on behalf of the British Government to ensure that such a tribunal is established as quickly as possible?

Mr. Hogg : I am, indeed, aware of the resolution. I am also aware that the Secretary-General has been commissioned to report back to the Security Council by the end of April on ways in which to carry forward the holding of a war crimes tribunal. I think that that is an important object of policy and, to the extent that it is

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possible--one must recognise the difficulties--that people who are guilty or who are alleged to be guilty of war crimes need to be brought before that tribunal and punished appropriately.

Dr. John Cunningham : Do not the Government recognise that even for those of us who have supported the peace process and the decisions of the Security Council, the policy of the United Nations appears to be falling apart in Bosnia? Is not it clear that sanctions are being widely breached by certain countries, including Russia, and should not any aid to Mr. Yeltsin be contingent on his obeying the mandatory sanctions against Serbia imposed by the Security Council? Is not it also clear that the humanitarian aid programme is in danger of failing not because the High Commissioner has not organised convoys, but because members of the United Nations, including members of the European Community, have failed to keep their promises to provide food aid for Bosnia? Are we to stand aside and watch the slaughter of perhaps 50,000 innocent civilians in Srebrenica? Are not those all reasons why we should have an immediate recall of the Security Council to discuss the deteriorating situation in Bosnia? Is not it deplorable that the Government have agreed to delay those discussions in the Security Council for two weeks, apparently at the request of Mr. Yeltsin?

Mr. Hogg : Our purpose--it must be--is to achieve continued consensus within the Security Council, because it is only by maintaining a united front between the five permanent members that we can hope to continue to place great pressure on Serbia. Against that background, we must consider the request by the Russian Government not to put the matter to the vote until the end of April. Our purpose must be to keep Russian consent, because if we lose it, the ability of the Security Council to act effectively will disappear entirely. That is the thinking behind our decision to accede to the Russian request. I believe that it was a right decision.

United States

11. Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations beween the EC and the USA.

Mr. Garel-Jones : EC-US relations are close, crucially important and wide ranging, including especially trade relations and political dialogue. We are committed to maintaining and developing this relationship on the basis of the November 1990 EC-US declaration which sets out shared aims and principles. The next EC-US summit will take place in Washington on 7 May.

Mr. Riddick : Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is vital for both the European Community and the United States that there is a successful outcome to the negotiations on the general agreement on tariffs and trade? Will he confirm that the Government will do everything in their power to ensure that the protectionist tendencies of Mr. Delors, of French politicians and of some within the Clinton Administration are not allowed to stand in the way of a successful outcome to those negotiations?

Mr. Garel-Jones : I certainly agree with my hon. Friend about the importance of a successful conclusion to the GATT Uruguay round. I assure him that the Government

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will continue to give the highest priority to that. The initial signals coming from the new United States Administration are encouraging. The trade representative, Mr. Kantor, recently confirmed President Clinton's commitment to a more open trading system and to the successful conclusion of the Uruguay round. He also confirmed the United States Administration's commitment to seeking an extension to the fast track authority, which is also a very positive step. As I said to my hon. Friend the Member for Amber Valley (Mr. Oppenheim), the new French Administration have inherited some difficult problems from their predecessors. I am convinced that France has as much to gain as any other country in the Community from a successful conclusion to the Uruguay round, not least because it is the largest exporter of services in the whole of the European Community and would have a great deal to gain from a successful conclusion to this round.

Mr. Hain : But could the Minister press for a joint initiative between the EC and the United States of America to put pressure on the South African Government to ensure that white terrorism is rooted out from both the community and the security forces? The tragic death of Chris Hani over the weekend is a clear example of the way in which white terrorists are being assisted--

Madam Speaker : Order. I have again to call an hon. Member to order. The hon. Gentleman started out reasonably but moved so far away from the question that his remarks really were out of order. I ask all hon. Members to look at the questions very carefully, and not to try to put one over on the Speaker, as they sometimes do. Several hon. Members rose --

Madam Speaker : No. We will now move on.

South Korea

14. Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Britain's relations with South Korea.

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