HC Deb 09 May 1968 vol 764 cc618-9
Q4. Mr. Brooks

asked the Prime Minister whether he will invite President de Gaulle to visit London for discussions on the future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

The Prime Minister

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer I gave on 2nd April to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Lancaster (Mr. Henig).—[Vol. 762, c. 74.]

Mr. Brooks

Does not my right hon. Friend deprecate the presence of more gall than cordial in the entente, and on this, the anniversary of the victory in Europe, would he not consider it appropriate to stress the immense dangers to European collective security and democracy in any further deterioration of Anglo-French relations and, in particular, in failure to pursue a common policy regarding Germany's nuclear rôle?

The Prime Minister

Our bilateral relations with France have been perfectly cordial over the last year. The real difficulty has been the attitude of the French Government regarding the British application for entry into the E.E.C. and the other Community organisations. This does place some strain on us. By far the greatest and most serious consequences of it are not just for us or for France but for Europe as a whole and for the hopes of those who want to close the technological gap between Europe as a whole, including Britain, and the other side of the Atlantic.

On the question of proliferation of nuclear weapons and Germany's position, I have nothing to add to the many statements which have been made.

Sir Harmar Nicholls

Does not the Prime Minister realise that association on matters to do with technology does not mean that we ought to sign the Treaty of Rome?

The Prime Minister

What I realise and have said many times—I hope that the hon. Gentleman will agree—is that for a proper fulfilment of what can be done in technological co-operation we need a single market. With the size and expense of the research and production programmes called for nowadays, not many firms will go as far as they could if they were not limited in the size of their market. That is why technological cooperation and integration involve market integration.