Q3. Mr. Ritkindasked the Prime Minister whether he intends to have further discussions with the West German Chancellor following the discussions at Chequers on 1st December.
§ The Prime MinisterI met the Federal German Chancellor again at the EEC Heads of Government meeting in Paris last week. No time has so far been fixed for a further meeting, but I hope it will not be long before we meet again.
§ Mr. RifkindI welcome the successful negotiations the Prime Minister has had with various European Heads of Government. Will the right hon. Gentleman now confirm that all European Governments and Oppositions, Socialist or otherwise, desperately want Britain to stay in the Community and are prepared to accommodate Britain's needs for that objective? When does the right hon. Gentleman expect the present negotiations to be complete? Is he hopeful that he will be able to recommend that Britain should stay within the Community?
§ The Prime MinisterI dealt with that matter yesterday, when we had about 40 minutes of questions after my statement. I said then, as I said in Paris last week, that it is in the highest interests of those with whom we are negotiating—our colleagues in the Market and ourselves— that we resolve these matters as quickly as possible, so that the question can be put for the judgment of this country. I hope that it will be possible to make speedy progress. I cannot forecast the exact date.
§ Mr. Ronald AtkinsMay I repeat a suggestion that I have addressed to my right hon. Friend over the years, so far without any action being taken, namely, that he should try to negotiate with the German Government a much more generous German contribution to the enormous costs of maintaining the British Army of the Rhine in British currency and especially German currency?
§ The Prime MinisterThe matter has exercised the minds of successive Governments of this country for a long period. In 1964 and 1970 the Government made considerable progress, though not as much as any of us would have hoped. The same was true of the Conservative Government between 1970 and this year. It is a matter for continuous discussion with the German Government. All of us would like, for both budgetary and foreign exchange considerations, to do even better than we have done.