HC Deb 10 June 1997 vol 295 cc941-2
11. Mr. Llew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to visit Washington to discuss UK-US relations. [1168]

Mr. Robin Cook

I met Secretary of State Albright two weeks ago in Washington and we had a positive and full discussion on US-UK relations. Both sides of the House will want to welcome warmly the outstanding success of President Clinton's visit the other week.

Mr. Smith

Did my right hon. Friend raise with his American counterpart the need for substantial progress at the international environment summit in New York later this month? Will he also raise with her in the future the problem of toxic and radioactive pollution that was left in the United Kingdom in the bases used by the US military?

Mr. Cook

I am pleased to tell my hon. Friend that I had a full discussion with Secretary of State Albright on environmental issues of international concern. We are both agreed that, in the next century, the environmental agenda will become much more prominent in international relations, and we look forward to working together at Denver to try to prepare statements on climate change that we can take to the summit in New York the subsequent week. The toxic contamination of US bases is primarily an issue for domestic Departments, but if they ask us for help, we will be pleased to raise the matter with the United States. When we go to international summits to call on other countries to meet the targets necessary to safeguard the global climate, it is important that we show an example in our back yard by ensuring that we have a healthy environment for our people.

Mr. Clifton-Brown

Will the Foreign Secretary confirm to President Clinton when he visits him the importance and primacy of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and, in particular, American involvement in it? Will he confirm that nothing in his future policies in connection with a European defence policy, whether through the Western European Union or any other body, will water down the importance of NATO's role?

Mr. Cook

I am happy to tell the hon. Gentleman that we have repeatedly stressed to our American allies the importance we attach to NATO. We have worked closely with the Americans in the North Atlantic Council, and will work closely with them on the preparations for the Madrid summit on enlargement. We hope that we will be able to prevent text at the Amsterdam summit that commits us to a merger of the WEU with the European Union. We can see a useful role for the WEU in providing help with peacekeeping and humanitarian missions: we do not see it as a vehicle for the collective defence of western Europe.