Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Iraq/UN Resolution, European Convention, Euro and Congo.
Iraq/UN Resolution
In the light of this afternoon’s vote at the UN, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) told journalists that the Government welcomed the UN’s decision. It was a good day for the people of Iraq because it lifted the existing sanctions and provided for a seamless transition from the Oil-for-Food Programme to the new arrangements which would help fund the process of reconstruction under the monitoring of an international advisory board. It was also a good day because it delivered on the promises that both the Prime Minister and President Bush had made at Hillsborough regarding a vital role for the UN, as embodied by the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative. It was also a good day for the UN because it showed that we had put behind us the difficulties we had had regarding the second Resolution to come together to establish a practical programme of help for the people of Iraq.
Asked if the Prime Minister had been involved personally in persuading any member of the UN, such as Russia and France, to support the Resolution, the PMOS said that the primary weight of this issue had fallen on the Foreign Secretary’s shoulders. The Prime Minister had taken the opportunity at Cabinet this morning to thank Mr Straw for all his work and express his admiration for the way in which he, the Foreign Office and various Ambassadors had handled the matter.
European Convention
Asked if the Prime Minister agreed with Peter Hain’s remarks today in which he had suggested that the Government would win a referendum on the European Convention if one were to be held, the PMOS said that he hadn’t seen Mr Hain’s comments and was therefore unable to respond directly. That said, the Prime Minister had spelled out the Government’s position on the Convention on a number of occasions. He believed that the case for the changes necessary to make a Europe of twenty-five work were obvious. Equally, it was important for people to be clear about the limits of the changes proposed. Consequently, as he had underlined this morning, this would not involve a fundamental change in the relationship between this country and the EU. That was why he did not believe there was a case for holding a referendum. The PMOS also took the opportunity to clarify a point made during a briefing earlier in the week regarding the number of countries who would be allowed to vote on the Convention at the IGC. He said that the fifteen existing members of the EU, plus the ten accession countries, would be able to have their say.
Euro
Asked when the Treasury’s assessment would be circulated to Ministers, the PMOS said that it would be done at some stage next week. Put to him that he had told journalists last Thursday that it would be circulated on 26 May, the PMOS acknowledged that he should have said that it would happen in the ‘week commencing’ 26 May given the fact that the 26th was a Bank Holiday and the day after was a Civil Service day. He blamed his error on his inability to read his own shorthand notes. In answer to further questions, the PMOS pointed to the Prime Minister’s press conference this morning in which he had indicated that today’s Cabinet had not only shown an emerging consensus, but also the value of the trilateral discussions which had been taking place in Downing Street this week between the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and Ministers. There was a genuine sense of a collective Cabinet reaching a collective decision. That process would continue until 9 June. Asked the date of the next Cabinet discussion on the issue, the PMOS said that it had been fixed for Thursday 5 June. The announcement to Parliament would be made on Monday 9 June.
Asked repeatedly why the Chancellor had decided to wait until Monday to make his Statement when he could have made it on the Thursday, the PMOS said that he suspected it was to allow time for the Treasury to put together all the necessary paperwork, given the fact the Department was already groaning under the weight of what had to be done. Asked if we were concerned about possible leaks in the intervening period, the PMOS pointed out that the past week had seen very little leakage from the Cabinet. That was precisely the spirit in which all Ministers were approaching the subject. Pressed further, the PMOS said that it was easier to announce the decision on Monday 9 June so as to allow for proper Statement and debate in the House, rather than rush into it on the Thursday or Friday. Asked to explain why there should have to be a rush given the lengthy process in which the Cabinet was actively participating, the PMOS repeated that it was important for these things to be done properly. It was up to the Government to choose the time and the manner in which it would make the announcement, obviously respecting the procedures of the House and ensuring that people would be able to express their views. Asked to confirm categorically that no leaks would appear as stories in the Sunday papers on 8 June, the PMOS repeated that the confidences of the Cabinet room had been kept for past week. Questioned as to whether the Cabinet on 5 June would approve the Chancellor’s Statement to be made on 9 June, the PMOS said that he would check. Put to him that if the Cabinet was going to make a decision on the 5th, the Chancellor couldn’t possibly have written his Statement by then, the PMOS said that the Cabinet would reach its decision collectively on 5 June. There would be a very good understanding of the position and how the decision would be explained. This morning’s Cabinet had been impressive not only because of the engagement by Ministers in the detail of the issue and in their desire to reach a genuine consensus, but also in terms of the shared understanding of where we were going. Ultimately, however, people would have to be patient and wait for the announcement on 9 June. We recognised that it would be highly frustrating for everyone concerned, including the Sunday Lobby, but that was the way it was. Asked if the Prime Minister had specifically instructed the Cabinet not to leak the decision because of the effect it might have on the financial markets, the PMOS said that no member of the Cabinet needed to be reminded of the seriousness of the issue before them, not least because of the weight - both literally and metaphorically - of the eighteen documents they had been studying since last weekend. It went without saying that all Cabinet Ministers were aware of the issue of market sensitivity.
Congo
Asked again about the UN’s request for Britain to contribute troops for a peacekeeping force in Congo, the PMOS said that we were still in discussion with the various parties involved, including the UN and the French at official level.
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