§ Q41. Mr. Lathamasked the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on the visit to Israel of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
§ The Prime MinisterMy noble Friend the then Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs paid a successful visit to Israel from 30 March to 1 April. His purpose was to strengthen our relations with Israel and to carry forward the dialogue on matters of mutual interest. Lord Carrington held useful and wide-ranging talks with Israeli leaders covering the Middle East, East/West questions, Afghanistan and Africa in addition to bilateral questions. It was valuable to hear at first hand the views of the Israeli Government about the problems of the region, and to explain the objectives of British and European policy.