§ 10. Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to meet President Clinton to discuss British-American relations.
§ Mr. HurdMy right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is looking forward to meeting President Clinton in Washington on 24 February.
§ Mr. BurnsWhen my right hon. Friend meets President Clinton will he reiterate to him the importance of the special relationship between the United States and Britain? Will he make it plain to the new President that many people, not only in the United States, but in this country, have high hopes for his personal success and that of his presidency? It is crucial that we have free trade, job creation and economic recovery, which are of paramount importance to both countries.
§ Mr. HurdMy hon. Friend is entirely right. The first contacts with the new team have gone well. There has been no interruption in our discussions with the United States Administration on former Yugoslavia, Iraq, the Arab-Israel position and the urgent need for the general agreement on tariffs and trade to fulfil the aims outlined by my hon. Friend. The new President carries a huge burden and I think that everyone with goodwill and good sense will wish him well.
§ Dr. GodmanIs it likely that the President of the United States will be warned against sending a peace mediator to Northern Ireland? Will he be told that that may cause more harm than good? Are not the days of the American interventionist role in western and northern Europe coming to an end?
§ Mr. HurdI do not think it likely that the new United States Administration will propose a mediator as regards Northern Ireland, but we are doing our utmost, as indeed are the Government in Dublin, to acquaint the new 974 American Administration with what is happening in Northern Ireland and in particular with the efforts of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to make progress on the constitutional side.
§ Mr. DykesWill my right hon. Friend and the Prime Minister also encourage the American Administration to get the European Community to play a greater role in the middle eastern peace process and to provide more wisdom, judgment, experience and balance, as well as reminding them of the need to avoid obvious mistakes?
§ Mr. HurdI am not sure that that exact pitch would work very well in Washington. One of the good things that have happened is that the new Administration have declared that the peace process started by Jim Baker should continue and should be a priority. That is why Secretary Warren Christopher is going to the area next week. I look forward to meeting him immediately after that. If we in Europe can help, we should do so. We can encourage and apply pressures, as we have discussed in the House already this afternoon. I do not think that we should seek to complicate the task or take the place of the United States so long as they give the peace process priority.
Dr. John CunninghamMay I warmly welcome the Government's new determination to develop a warm relationship with the Clinton Administration, having previously worked to prevent President Clinton's victory in the election? May I stress that we share the view that it is very important for us in terms of trade? We do not want to descend into a trade war with the United States of America. We want to see final approval of the GATT agreement and we want to see the United States of America playing a positive role in support of the peace process in the former Yugoslavia. All those are important matters on which Britain and the United States of America share interests. I wish the right hon. Gentleman and the Prime Minister well in their discussions with President Clinton and his team.