§ 11. Mr. RiddickTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations beween the EC and the USA.
§ Mr. Garel-JonesEC-US relations are close, crucially important and wide ranging, including especially trade relations and political dialogue. We are committed to maintaining and developing this relationship on the basis of the November 1990 EC-US declaration which sets out shared aims and principles. The next EC-US summit will take place in Washington on 7 May.
§ Mr. RiddickDoes my right hon. Friend agree that it is vital for both the European Community and the United States that there is a successful outcome to the negotiations on the general agreement on tariffs and trade? Will he confirm that the Government will do everything in their power to ensure that the protectionist tendencies of Mr. Delors, of French politicians and of some within the Clinton Administration are not allowed to stand in the way of a successful outcome to those negotiations?
§ Mr. Garel-JonesI certainly agree with my hon. Friend about the importance of a successful conclusion to the GATT Uruguay round. I assure him that the Government 822 will continue to give the highest priority to that. The initial signals coming from the new United States Administration are encouraging. The trade representative, Mr. Kantor, recently confirmed President Clinton's commitment to a more open trading system and to the successful conclusion of the Uruguay round. He also confirmed the United States Administration's commitment to seeking an extension to the fast track authority, which is also a very positive step.
As I said to my hon. Friend the Member for Amber Valley (Mr. Oppenheim), the new French Administration have inherited some difficult problems from their predecessors. I am convinced that France has as much to gain as any other country in the Community from a successful conclusion to the Uruguay round, not least because it is the largest exporter of services in the whole of the European Community and would have a great deal to gain from a successful conclusion to this round.
§ Mr. HainBut could the Minister press for a joint initiative between the EC and the United States of America to put pressure on the South African Government to ensure that white terrorism is rooted out from both the community and the security forces? The tragic death of Chris Hani over the weekend is a clear example of the way in which white terrorists are being assisted——
§ Madam SpeakerOrder. I have again to call an hon. Member to order. The hon. Gentleman started out reasonably but moved so far away from the question that his remarks really were out of order. I ask all hon. Members to look at the questions very carefully, and not to try to put one over on the Speaker, as they sometimes do.
§ Madam SpeakerNo. We will now move on.