Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Pakistan, Rugbly World Cup, Foxhunting, Anglo-French Summit, PM Aznar, US Steel Tariffs, Tony Booth and The Simpsons.
Pakistan
Asked if the Government had any intention of answering Pakistan’s question as to whether its Embassy in the UK had been bugged and whether the Prime Minister was concerned that this issue might damage British/Pakistani relations, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) referred journalists to the Foreign Office for a response on this matter.
Rugby World Cup
Asked to describe the form which official celebrations would take following England’s victory over Australia in the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister had spoken yesterday to Clive Woodward and Martin Johnson. As he understood it, the England team were currently on their way back to the UK. Obviously we would talk to the players and the RFU to decide the format and timings of any celebrations. As we had said yesterday, they would also be invited to a reception at Downing Street. However, since the team had been away for eight weeks, it was understandable that they would want to spend time with their families first, in addition to which some players had club commitments to fulfil. Consequently, no one should expect any decision to be made straight away.
Asked if the Scottish-born and educated Prime Minister supported the idea of celebrating England’s victory, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister had been very proud of the fact that England had won on Saturday. That was precisely why he had said in his statement, "This was a fantastic day for English rugby and for England. The team can be proud of their performance, their spirit and, above all, their character. It was a victory they worked for, and the whole country can be proud of them". We all said ‘amen’ to that.
Foxhunting
Asked if the Prime Minister remained committed to banning foxhunting by the end of this Parliament, the PMOS said that if he was being asked about the contents of the Queen’s Speech on Wednesday, the answer was that we never briefed on it in advance.
Anglo-French Summit
Asked what the Prime Minister would say to President Chirac on the issue of European defence during today’s Anglo-French Summit, the PMOS said it was important for people to recognise that the UK had always been in favour of increased European co-operation in this area. However, this had to be in the context of a situation where that co-operation complemented NATO and did not compete with it. There would always be a hierarchy in terms of the way the issue was approached. For example, if a situation required intervention it would fall to NATO to deal with it in the first instance, since it held responsibility for the territorial defence of Europe. If, however, it was decided that NATO was not required, the second choice would be an EU operation using NATO assets. If that, in turn, was deemed unnecessary, the third choice would be an autonomous EU operation. Thus, the crux of the issue was the design of the planning capacity for that third option so that it did not compete with NATO and nor would it be incompatible with it in any way. It was precisely on these points that discussions were continuing. Asked if the Prime Minister had ‘come round’ to the idea of a separate Planning HQ in cases where the third category might be used, the PMOS said that an EU operation of any kind would need a planning facility of some kind. The question was how it might be designed so that it would work and would not get in the way of NATO, would not become incompatible with NATO, and would not undermine NATO in any way. That was the crux of the issue. Practical and common sense discussions were taking place about these matters and it would not be helpful to pre-judge their outcome. Asked the extent of Anglo-French co-operation on general defence and military matters, the PMOS said that we obviously worked together in different formats and in different ways. He referred journalists to the MoD for further detail.
Asked what other items were on the agenda at the Anglo-French Summit, the PMOS said that the breadth of the French team underlined the fact that a broad range of topics would be raised. For example, the issue of terrorism would obviously be discussed following the sad events in Istanbul last week. They would also talk about Iraq and the wider Middle East, referring inevitably to the vision outlined by President Bush in his speech in the UK last Wednesday. They would also discuss European matters in the light of the forthcoming European Council next month.
Asked if the Prime Minister would raise the possibility of France holding a referendum on the European Constitution, the PMOS said he did not think the Prime Minister would be so bold as to suggest to any country, let alone France, how to handle constitutional issues. That was entirely a matter for the French themselves. Questioned as to whether the Prime Minister might ‘enquire’ whether France might join the growing number of European countries who were holding referendums, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister was much more interested in continuing to outline the UK’s position, namely that he did not see a need for a referendum.
Asked to spell out the differences between Britain and France regarding Iraq, the PMOS said that he would prefer to spell out what it was we had in common. For example, we both wanted to see democracy emerge in Iraq for the first time in decades. We both wanted to see economic prosperity in a country which had in the past been two-thirds dependent on UN aid. In addition, we both wanted to see increased security. It was clear that all three issues must move forward together. Yes, the UK and France might have started out from different places in terms of Iraq, but we now we certainly both shared the same objectives. The question therefore was how we could co-operate in achieving them.
Asked to characterise the state of relations between the Prime Minister and President Chirac following their ’spat’ this time last year, the PMOS pointed out that next year we would be celebrating the centenary of the Entente Cordiale. During the last one hundred years, the relationship had gone through different guises. At times we acted together, at times we spoke together. Sometimes we had to speak bluntly about our differences. The important point was that we had continued to talk to each other, no matter what. Clearly the Prime Minister valued President Chirac as a partner in Europe with whom he was able to speak honestly about our differences, as well those issues we had in common.
PM Aznar
Questioned about the Prime Minister’s meeting with Prime Minister Aznar of Spain later today, the PMOS said that the two leaders met regularly, the last meeting being in October. They would discuss a range of world affairs, including European issues given the forthcoming European Council next month.
US Steel Tariffs
Asked to confirm reports suggesting that there had been some movement on the issue of US steel tariffs, the PMOS said that the position had not changed since last week. He reminded journalists that the WTO deadline for the US was not this week but 6 December.
Tony Booth
Asked the Prime Minister’s reaction to the news that his father-in-law, Tony Booth, was going to live in Ireland because British pensions were so bad, the PMOS said that it wasn’t our policy to comment on the Prime Minister’s family.
The Simpsons
Asked if Downing Street was responsible for the timing of The Simpsons episode featuring the Prime Minister which had been broadcast in the US last night, the PMOS said no. The timing of the broadcast had been entirely a matter for the broadcasters. Asked the Prime Minister’s reaction to the episode in question, the PMOS said he did not think that the Prime Minister had seen it.
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