§ 32. Mr. JannerTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement regarding recent developments concerning anti-Semitism in eastern Europe.
§ Mr. WaldegraveWe deplore anti-Semitism in all its forms and will continue to do all we can to counter it. We worked for the unequivocal condemnation of anti-Semitism contained in the concluding document adopted by the CSCE participating states at the human dimension conference in Copenhagen on 29 June. We strongly endorse the recent statement in Dublin by the European Council on anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia.
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§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for which countries he has received IPU observers' reports on the elections in eastern Europe; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaldegraveWe have received reports, either written or oral, from IPU observers to the elections in East Germany, Romania, Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia. We have found the information from the IPU observers of great interest and value, along with reports from others, in assessing the fairness of the elections. We welcome these elections and look forward to continuing moves towards full democracy in all of the countries of eastern Europe.
§ Mr. MansTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make it his policy to apply the principle of conditionality to United Kingdom assistance to the countries of eastern Europe.
§ Mr. WaldegraveOur policy remains that the type and degree of aid to the reforming eastern European countries should match the stage of political and economic reform they have each reached.
§ Mr. BowisTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the grounds upon which he would extend the know-how funds to other countries in eastern Europe.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe know-how fund, which currently covers Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and the GDR, will be extended to other eastern European countries once they are firmly committed to reform.
§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet the Foreign Secretary of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to discuss the relationship between the European Community and the Baltic states.
§ Mr. WaldegraveMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs will doubtless discuss progress in negotiating between Moscow and the Baltic states at one of his forthcoming meetings with Mr. Shevardnadze; he has no plans specifically to raise relations between the EC and the Baltic states.
§ 44. Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his European partners concerning the reconstruction in eastern Europe.
§ Mr. WaldegraveMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs attended the second ministerial meeting of the Group of 24 countries on 4 July in Brussels. Ministers welcomed the reforms being undertaken in Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and the GDR, and agreed to extend G24 assistance to these countries, in addition to Poland and Hungary. Ministers have called on Romania to implement the necessary reforms to permit it to qualify for such assistance. There was brief discussion of aid to the Soviet Union.
§ 35. Mr. Barry FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Foreign Affairs Council is next due to discuss the proposed introduction of association agreements with those countries of eastern Europe making progress in implementing political and economic reforms.
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§ Mr. MaudeThe FAC on 16–17 July will discuss association agreements with the reforming countries of central and eastern Europe. The European Council on 25–26 June called for exploratory talks to be opened soon. We are continuing to press the European Commission to make rapid progress with Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia.