Press briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Sudan and Zimbabwe, Europe, Lebanon and Israel, Northern Ireland, Budget and Cabinet
Sudan and Zimbabwe
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that the Prime Minister had written to Chancellor Merkel, in her role as President of the EU and copied it to other EU members. The PMOS went on to say that the gist of the letter was that enough was enough, President Bashir of Sudan, was clearly not complying with the agreement that had been reached earlier this year and therefore the Prime Minister believed that it was time for new, tough UN resolution which would mean targeted sanctions aimed at the top members of the Sudanese Government and those supporting them. The reason the Prime Minister believed this was because the hybrid force Sudan has been dragging its feet on, the violence is continuing. Clearly President Bashir is not complying with the accord.
Asked if the targeted sanctions would be things like travel bans and freezing of overseas bank accounts, the PMOS said he believed that was correct but it would be up to those who were drafting the resolution to decide on these details.
Asked if the UN would be drafting a resolution in respect of Sudan, the PMOS said that talks would take place with other Security Council members and see what the best way forward would be.
Asked how the Prime Minister planned to enforce the accord, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister hoped that the EU as a whole would support the moves towards a tougher UN resolution. Asked when this would be, the PMOS said that this weekend in Berlin there would be a chance to talk about the issue in the margins of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the EU, which is in itself a very important event. The Prime Minister hoped that he would be able to talk to other EU leaders informally. Asked if the UK had any unilateral sanctions, the PMOS said that he didn’t believe so but this was something where what the past showed was that President Bashir does respond to pressure. Whenever the international communities attention moves elsewhere then he reneges; pressure works but it has to be sustained pressure and for that to work it has to be international pressure.
Asked if the US suggested these moves and were aware of the plans, the PMOS said that we were fully across what the US was doing and the US is fully aware of what our intentions were.
Asked if Sudan was already on Chancellor Merkel’s agenda or was it something that had been pressed, the PMOS said that Chancellor Merkel would speak for herself, but in terms of moving forward, the new element in this is the push for a tough, new UN resolution, and a resolution with teeth. He added that it was thought that many others in the EU were sympathetic but it would be better to see where talks got to. But yes, the UK were driving this.
Asked if the targeted sanctions mentioned for Sudan were similar to those imposed on Robert Mugabe and they had not worked, the PMOS said that the sanctions would be along these lines but equally what was important was that the past had shown that President Bashir does respond to pressure. In terms of Zimbabwe what is having a real impact at the moment is the fact that the African countries, particularly in southern Africa, are taking a much tougher line. We will fully support that, that is what has an impact on the ground in Zimbabwe, rather than the UK making high profile statements that then allow President Mugabe, wrongly, to portray it as a conflict between the UK and Zimbabwe. It was not, it is a conflict between President Mugabe regime and humanity, that was the basic line.
Asked if, because of the situation on the ground, people who had failed asylum bids from Zimbabwe should not be removed from the UK back to Zimbabwe, the PMOS said that it would be wrong for him to comment on the matter as it was for the Home Office to consider each individual case, but he was sure the present circumstances would be considered.
Europe
Asked as Czech deputy Prime Minister had raised concerns that the Declaration due to be published in Berlin this weekend, had been drawn up by the Germans in secret and that they had concerns about it and did the UK have similar concerns, the PMOS said no, we fully believed that there was a general discussion at the Brussels Summit recently about the broad principles underlying the Declaration and we believe that all processes had been followed.
Asked if the Berlin Declaration would confirm that 2009 was the target for an EU constitution, the PMOS said it would be better to wait and see what it said. Asked if the UK would see the Declaration before it was published, the PMOS said that there would be the usual diplomatic contact before hand.
Asked if the Prime Minister agreed with the Chancellor that some of the anger shown towards the Chancellor from some quarters was due to anger over the Chancellors decision over the Euro, the PMOS said that the position of the Chancellor was always one which you have to take difficult decisions and people respond to different decisions in different ways; the Chancellor speaks for himself.
Lebanon and Israel
Asked how serious a schism there was considering what John Bolton had said on Radio 4 thing morning regarding the US allowing the Israelis to bomb Lebanon until Hizbollah had been removed but yet that was contradicted by a foreign Minister saying that that was not the US position, the PMOS said that the position on Lebanon was exactly as we expressed it at the time. What we had wanted was a cease fire on all sides but it had to be a cease fire on all sides. It had to also resulted in Hizbollah abiding by the will of the UN, which was not for a militarised zone. Asked if it was not the case that one side of this, the Americans, had played fast and loose with the special relationship, the PMOS said that he would not get involved in commentating on the comments of an ex-member of the US administration. What the PMOS would do was reiterate what was said at the time, that it only made sense to call for a cease fire on all sides, not one side, as that would not work.
Northern Ireland
Asked for an update on where things were with the 26th March deadline, the PMOS said yesterday’s meeting with the DUP was important because no one now was under any illusion whatsoever that Monday was "it". That was the basis on which the election was called and that was the basis on which people voted and all the evidence showed that people fully understood that.
Secondly, that means that people have a choice. Either on Monday we will have Ministers nominated and an Executive meeting on Tuesday, or, the Assembly will be dissolved. That is the reality. That is the choice people have. Clearly people have genuine concerns about how do you immediately go into Government given the time lapse and preparations and so on but they will be spoken to.
In terms of where we go from here. Today you have the meeting with the Chancellor about the financial package. There will then be party meetings by the DUP, which come to a head on Saturday afternoon, let us see where we are by then. In terms of the Prime Minister’s involvement he has always remains involved on a day-by-day, hour-by-hour basis. In terms of plans to go to Northern Ireland there are no plans at this stage.
Asked if there would be a shadow assembly or shadow Exeutive, the PMOS said that a shadow assembly was not allowed for under legislation. The legislation says that what has to happen is that ministers are nominated and then the Executive has to meet. What happens after that is a matter for the Executive. There are common sense concerns about starting Government, straight away, but in terms of the legal necessity it is to nominate ministers, including first and deputy first minister and to hold an Executive meeting.
Asked what the deadline actually was, the PMOS confirmed that 00.01 Tuesday 27th March would be when devolution happens.
Asked about the financial package that was being discussed today, the PMOS said that there would be genuine extra money from the British and Irish Governments but that the Chancellor would set out the package.
Asked if Peter Hain would be involved in the Northern Ireland talks, the PMOS said that Peter Hain would be in Northern Ireland on Monday.
Budget
Asked if the Prime Minister knew in advance that the Chancellor would be cutting income tax by 2 pence, the PMOS said that he did not give running commentaries on talks but said he would put it this way, the Prime Minister certainly knew before he sat down on the bench in the House of Commons. There was a full discussion at the Budget Cabinet yesterday morning and the Prime Minister and the Chancellor had their regular and frequent meetings before that.
Cabinet
Asked what was discussed at Cabinet this morning, the PMOS said there was an update from Peter Hain on Northern Ireland, plus Alan Johnson set out his Green Paper and the reasons behind it. Asked if there was any discussion on the Budget, the PMOS said no, just congratulations for the Chancellor but nothing else.
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