Press briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Iranian Hostages, Northern Ireland and Lancet Report
Iranian Hostages
Asked why we could not release the coordinates of where our personnel were, and so clearing any discrepancy between us and Iran, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) replied that throughout all of this we had been making a very genuine effort to have discussions with the Iranians in private, so not to escalate the tension. And anything that we did would have to be in accordance with that principle. People should not mistake discretion for lack of certainty. As we had said this morning, we were utterly certain that our personnel were in Iraqi water, but there were ways of handling this which should be observed in the interest of those personnel.
Asked if we would be showing the Iranians the coordinates, the PMOS replied that he would not be getting into a running commentary. There was a discrete way of handling this, but that should not be taken for any lack of certainty on our part.
Asked if it was the Government’s view that contact with the Foreign Ministry in Tehran was futile, as they may not know the whereabouts of the serviceman, the PMOS replied that he would not be drawn into speculation. All he would say was that we were making every effort bilaterally, and through our international contacts, to convince Iran that these personnel were in Iraqi waters, secondly that they should be immediately released, and also to point out that the international community was speaking with one voice on this matter.
Asked to confirm that intelligence suggested that the Iranians did not have a clear set of motives, and that a similar clarity may not exist on the Iranian side, the PMOS replied that it was not helpful to start speculating whilst discussions were ongoing, it was much better to concentrate on trying to get the personnel out.
Asked if we had been given a reasonably clear picture by the Iranians, whether it was right or not, of what happened and why it happened, the PMOS replied that it was understandable that everyone wanted to speculate about this, but it was much more important to get on with the job.
Asked about the international contacts mentioned in a previous reply, and were there third parties involved in negotiations, the PMOS replied that looking at the EU statement at the weekend, and that statements coming out of other countries, they supported our demand for the immediate release of our personnel.
Asked if we had any confirmation that the British servicemen would be interrogated, as the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister had suggested, the PMOS replied that again it was not helpful to reveal the details of the discussions.
Asked if there had been any contacts with the US on this issue, the PMOS replied that we were in discussions with all our allies.
Northern Ireland
Asked for some background to the Northern Ireland developments today, the PMOS replied that the Prime Minister was in a meeting on Scotland whilst the meeting and subsequent press conference went on, and he talked to the Taoiseach shortly afterwards. This agreement had come after a very intensive period. Going back to late autumn last year there had been the St Andrews Agreement, which then rolled into a very busy period over Christmas where the Prime Minister, with the exception of Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, spent a part of every day on the phone about this issue, including whilst he was on holiday. There had been intensive discussions with the parties since then and this weekend was again a very intensive period. But the important thing was that in the end, this was a deal reached between the parties. The DUP said that they wanted more time, we said we were prepared to consider more time but only if they could reach a consensus with Sinn Fein, and the important point is that that consensus was reached between the two parties. It was not something imposed by us, it was not something that we had to in the end deliver - it was the two parties that delivered it. That was the difference and that was why this was really important.
Put that on Friday we had said that at one minute past midnight, that was it, and asked what happened over the weekend, the PMOS replied that what had happened was that the DUP accepted that if there was to be a delay, then they had to reach a consensus with Sinn Fein about that delay, and that would involve a face to face meeting. Because what they had to do was convince Sinn Fein that they were seriously saying that they would go into Government on May 8th, this was the crucial moment of the decision.
Put that there had been so many deadlines in this process that one could only assume that the British Government had decided that the words heard from Gerry Adams and Ian Paisley were such that there was no get out clause this time, the PMOS replied that he did not disagree, but much more importantly was that the DUP had clearly accepted Sinn Fein’s assurances on this, but equally the other way around. The important thing was that both sides had looked into each other’s eyes and concluded that the other was serious about this.
Asked if emergency legislation was now going through, the PMOS replied that Jack Straw today announced that the legislation would go through both Houses tomorrow. That would simply switch everything from today to May 8th.
Asked what the importance was of May 8th for the DUP, the PMOS replied that this was a matter for the DUP. In this sort of situation, no political party will ever face such a fundamental decision as this. If therefore they need more time, then so be it, so long as they can convince other people that they are serious about doing this. This is what had happened. We have seen in the last year, the IRA saying that its campaign is over, that they have decommissioned their weapons, we have seen Sinn Fein now accept policing, and now we have seen the DUP not just accept power sharing in theory, but actually commit to it in reality. That was a lot of ground to cover.
Put to him that Peter Hain had been asked about Mr Brown putting in a little bit more money, to which Mr Hain replied that he knew he would not be absolutely rigid, suggesting that there was more money in the pot, the PMOS replied that it would be ill advised for him to start speculating about what the Chancellor’s response would be. But he imagined that the Chancellor knew the request was coming, and not just in the post.
Asked if water bills would continue to be on hold, the PMOS replied that it was an absolute triumph that water bills were the number one issue on the doorstep. That really was the moment of history! The water bills would be on hold because of the emergency legislation. Everything that was there for the taking today would now be there for the taking on May 8th. If people were not serious, then they knew water bills would start going out on May 9th or very soon afterwards, and they knew what the public reaction would be. The message from this election was remarkably clear: water rates, health, education and domestic rates were the number one issues. Paramilitary activity was way, way down the list. That was what had changed. That was what the period from the Good Friday agreement until now had achieved, to create that space in which domestic politics in Northern Ireland could come to the fore. And the parties were responding to that. What had to be recognised however given the past, was the leadership it had taken to get to this point.
Put that both Gerry Adams and Ian Paisley wanted movement on water rates, the PMOS replied that what was on offer as a result of the Chancellor’s original package was a deferral for at least a year, and then the assembly could discuss.
Asked how the Prime Minister found out about the agreement, the PMOS replied that we had expectations of what might be possible in the meeting, but we did not know for sure, and in Northern Ireland you never do know for sure, until the actual event took place. Therefore the press conference was the final confirmation that they had reached agreement at the meeting. The Prime Minister was told about the agreement after his meeting on Scotland, and shortly before his talks with the Taoiseach.
Asked if the Prime Minister would attend any kind of event on May 8th, the PMOS replied that we would take May 8th when we got there. The important thing again was that the parties had set out a regular series of meetings and discussions to prepare for May 8th. Therefore this was not just a one off, but part of a sequence.
Lancet Report
Asked that when Downing Street questioned the methodology used to produce the survey in the Lancet last October about the number people who had died in Iraq, were we aware of the advice by the Chief Scientific Advisor to the MoD who described the analysis as “appropriate” and the methods as “close to best practice”, the PMOS replied that this issue surfaced two or three weeks ago, and from memory he had believed there were still question marks over that methodology.
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