HC Deb 01 July 1969 vol 786 cc236-8
Q5. Mr. Marten

asked the Prime Minister if he will invite the new President of France to visit this country.

Q9. Mr. Biggs-Davison

asked the Prime Minister whether he will seek a meeting with the President of the French Republic.

Q12. Mr. Henig

asked the Prime Minister if he will invite M. Pompidou to visit London.

Mr. Roy Jenkins

I have been asked to reply.

I would refer to the reply which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave to a Question by the hon. Member for Dorset, West (Mr. Wingfield Digby) on 24th June.—[Vol. 785, c. 1215–16.]

Mr. Marten

Will the right hon. Gentleman suggest to the Prime Minister that when the meeting takes place the Prime Minister should state firmly to the French President Britain's objection to supra-nationalism should we join the Common Market? As the Common Market is now heading towards supra-nationalism, would not the answer be, as we shall have a clash on this anyway, for Britain to go now for a free trade area between the Six and the Seven?

Mr. Jenkins

This is the second attempt the hon. Gentleman has made in the past 10 minutes to suggest to the Government what they should say at hypothetical conversations the date of which has not yet been fixed. I hope that the Government will, if and when the conversations take place, as I hope they will, state the policy of the Government rather than that of the hon. Gentleman.

Mr. Biggs-Davison

In view of the French Prime Minister's forthcoming statement about the British and French nuclear deterrents, would it not be a good idea if the Prime Minister discussed with the President of the French Republic the aligning of these two forces within the Western Alliance? Would not that be very helpful in providing a better atmosphere for discussions on Europe?

Mr. Jenkins

I have no doubt that it would be a good idea in due course for the Prime Minister and the new French President to have discussions on a wide range of issues.

Mr. Henig

Will my right hon. Friend consider that this is a matter of some urgency, and that it is now high time Anglo-French relations were placed once again on a proper footing? Will he therefore recommend to his right hon. Friend that a meeting with President Pompidou takes place some time during the summer, that when it takes place there should be full and frank discussions on all aspects of Europe's future, and that there should not be questions that we would rather not discuss?

Mr. Jenkins

I would hope that when a meeting did take place it would indeed take the form of full and frank discussion. As to the timing of the meeting, President Pompidou has only just taken office, and I think that this is better left to my right hon. Friend.

Mr. Alfred Morris

Does my right hon. Friend agree that even in advance of any such meeting it must be made abundantly clear that there is no question of nuclear sharing with France?

Hon. Members

Why not?

Mr. Morris

Is not this precluded by our signature to the Non-Proliferation Treaty?

Mr. Jenkins

There is no question of making any departure from previous policy on a Question about whether or not a particular meeting should take place.

Mr. Rippon

Does that answer mean that the Government accept that there should be an Anglo-French nuclear deterrent?

Mr. Jenkins

No, Sir. The answer means precisely what it says, that I am not announcing any new policy today on an Anglo-French nuclear deterrent, which may not be a complete surprise, even to the right hon. and learned Gentleman.