§ Mr. ShoreTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what were the terms of the message communicated to the Government of Canada by the Committee of Permanent Representatives in Brussels on 13 March and whether he had been consulted before the message was sent.
§ Mr. HurdCOREPER agreed on 13 March that clarificatory discussions should take place between the Commission and Canada in preparation for formal negotiations which could begin when the Canadian authorities had released the Spanish vessel Estai. This was in line with Her Majesty's Government's approach.
Our wider policy on the fisheries dispute between the EU and Canada was outlined in the reply given on 16 March 1995 to the hon. Member for South Dorset (Mr. Bruce) by the Minister of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for Grantham (Mr. Hogg), Official Report, columns 657–58. As he said, the United Kingdom has been using its position as a member of both the Commonwealth and the EU to promote solutions to the immediate difficulties and to contribute to an outcome in the longer term which is satisfactory to all.
The Canadian Government yesterday expressed their gratitude for the "very helpful role" which Her Majesty's Government had played in moves towards a resolution of this dispute.