§ 9. Mr. Knoxasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress towards a common European Community foreign policy.
§ Sir Geoffrey HoweThe United Kingdom put forward at the Milan European Council ideas for a binding agreement on European political co-operation. This would include the formalisation of the commitment to consult, establishment of a small secretariat and closer cooperation on security. These ideas, together with others, will now be on the agenda of the forthcoming intergovernmental conference.
§ Mr. KnoxWill my right hon. and learned Friend confirm that greater co-operation in foreign affairs among Community countries is a major objective of British Government policy, and that such co-operation is very much in the interests of this country and the other countries of western Europe?
§ Sir Geoffrey HoweI agree with what my hon. Friend has said. It was for that reason we put forward the proposals that we did at the Milan conference for an agreement on political co-operation.
§ Mr. BoyesIf Foreign Ministers ever work closer together on a common policy, and whether they do or not, will the Foreign Secretary make it absolutely clear that he is against torture? Will he make it absolutely clear that he is against torture in Turkey—[Interruption.]
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The question concerns European foreign policy.
§ Mr. BoyesWith respect, Mr. Speaker, I am saying to the Foreign Secretary, as one of the people making that common policy, that the common policy must be to oppose torture wherever it is, particularly systematic and widespread torture in Turkey.
§ Sir Geoffrey HoweThe question ranges, as you pointed out, Mr. Speaker, a long way beyond that on the Order Paper, but I have no difficulty in assuring the hon. Gentleman that of course the policies of Her Majesty's Government are opposed to torture.
§ Mr. Teddy TaylorWill the Foreign Secretary do all in his power to make sure that a European foreign policy does not become an anti-American foreign policy? Is he aware of the huge resentment in the United States about the indiscriminate dumping of steel from state-subsidised companies in Europe and about the disruption of world food markets, again by indiscriminate, subsidised dumping of food surpluses?
§ Sir Geoffrey HoweMy hon. Friend refers to the other side of the coin that we discussed a moment ago. The fact is that on both sides of the Atlantic there is a problem to be tackled over the disposal of steel exports in today's world economic conditions. It is equally the case that American agricultural policy involves, in his words, dumping agricultural exports on the world market at subsidised prices. It is precisely because we need to resolve conflicts of that kind sensibly that we need to tackle them, and can benefit so much from tackling them, within the European Community rather than on our own.