§ 16. Mr. Ben Bradshaw (Exeter)If he will make a statement on the impact of the German general election result on British-German relations. [54300]
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Ms Joyce Quin)The United Kingdom has excellent relations with Germany and we look forward to developing them further with the new German Government. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I will meet the new German Minister for Foreign Affairs, Joschka Fischer, for discussions both tomorrow and on Thursday.
§ Mr. BradshawDoes my hon. Friend believe that the election of a fellow centre left Government in Bonn will help in our Government's task of repairing our damaged relations with Germany—relations that suffered so badly under the previous Government—and that the election result shows that it is entirely possible to have decisive political change under a system of proportional representation?
§ Ms QuinAs the German SPD belongs to our political family, we are, of course, pleased that it has won such support from the German electorate. We look forward to working closely with the new Government, and it is satisfying to note that the centre left seems to be so popular with European electorates. Perhaps Conservative Members would like to reflect on that trend.
§ Mr. Crispin Blunt (Reigate)The Minister will be aware that the new German Government have already 152 imposed a moratorium on an important joint arms programme, for the multi-role armoured vehicle. Defence relations are obviously an essential part of our relations. What is the new German Government's response to the Prime Minister's proposals for a change of policy on defence in Europe, which the House has not had the opportunity to hear?
§ Ms QuinChancellor Schröder complimented the Prime Minister on his contribution at Pörtschach, and felt that his proposals were a good basis for future discussions on that part of European policy. The Prime Minister's statement was welcomed generally as an important contribution to the debate of the heads of state.