§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his recent visit to Greece.
§ Mr. EggarMy right hon. and learned Friend had most valuable and wide-ranging discussions with Mr. Papandreou and other Greek Ministers as well as the Leader of the Opposition. These confirmed our friendly bilateral relationship and our interest in trading and industrial collaboration with Greece. It contributed to the sort of understanding vital between NATO and EC partners.
My right hon. and learned Friend stressed the importance of Greece's role in maintaining NATO solidarity on the south-eastern flank and Britain's commitment to good relations with all our Alliance partners. On Cyprus he underlined our support for the Secretary General's initiative. On the EC, he outlined British priorities for our forthcoming presidency.
On Sunday 23 March in the company of Cretan veterans at the Commonwealth war cemetery at Souda bay, my right hon. and learned Friend paid tribute to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who fell in Crete during the second world war.