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United States
11. Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to visit Washington to discuss UK-US relations. [1168]
Mr. Robin Cook: I met Secretary of State Albright two weeks ago in Washington and we had a positive and full discussion on US-UK relations. Both sides of the House will want to welcome warmly the outstanding success of President Clinton's visit the other week.
Mr. Smith: Did my right hon. Friend raise with his American counterpart the need for substantial progress at the international environment summit in New York later this month? Will he also raise with her in the future the problem of toxic and radioactive pollution that was left in the United Kingdom in the bases used by the US military?
Mr. Cook: I am pleased to tell my hon. Friend that I had a full discussion with Secretary of State Albright on environmental issues of international concern. We are both agreed that, in the next century, the environmental agenda will become much more prominent in international relations, and we look forward to working together at Denver to try to prepare statements on climate change that we can take to the summit in New York the subsequent week. The toxic contamination of US bases is primarily an issue for domestic Departments, but if they ask us for help, we will be pleased to raise the matter with the United States. When we go to international summits to call on other countries to meet the targets necessary to safeguard the global climate, it is important that we show an example in our back yard by ensuring that we have a healthy environment for our people.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: Will the Foreign Secretary confirm to President Clinton when he visits him the importance and primacy of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and, in particular, American involvement in it? Will he confirm that nothing in his future policies in connection with a European defence policy, whether through the Western European Union or any other body, will water down the importance of NATO's role?
Mr. Cook: I am happy to tell the hon. Gentleman that we have repeatedly stressed to our American allies the importance we attach to NATO. We have worked closely with the Americans in the North Atlantic Council, and will work closely with them on the preparations for the Madrid summit on enlargement. We hope that we will be able to prevent text at the Amsterdam summit that commits us to a merger of the WEU with the European Union. We can see a useful role for the WEU in providing help with peacekeeping and humanitarian missions: we do not see it as a vehicle for the collective defence of western Europe.
Falkland Islands
14. Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his talks with Guido di Talla on the future of the Falklands-Malvinas. [1171]
Mr. Tony Lloyd: My right hon. Friend is finalising the details of proposals for an early meeting at which he intends to discuss matters with the Argentine Foreign Minister to improve our already good relations with that country.
Mr. Dalyell: What will we say about the problem of greedy over-fishing in the south Atlantic?
Mr. Lloyd: My hon. Friend will know that it was the policy of the previous Government--as it is of this one--to obtain a fisheries agreement with Argentina. We will certainly raise the issue with the Foreign Minister when he visits London and we will ensure that the Argentines understand that we place a high priority on obtaining such an agreement, which would help conserve stocks, which is in the interests of those who fish from the islands and from Argentina.
Mr. Tom King: In view of recent unhelpful comments from Buenos Aires about the expectations that the Argentine Government have of the new Labour Government, will the Minister take this opportunity to make it clear that there has been no change in policy on the sovereignty of the Falklands from that of the previous Government?
Mr. Lloyd: My answer is a firm yes to that question.
Export Trade
15. Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the measures taken in his Department in co-operation with the Department of Trade and Industry to promote Britain's export trade. [1172]
Mr. Robin Cook: The Foreign Office works hand in hand with the Department of Trade and Industry on export promotion. Together, we have established a new export forum which will consider how to improve our export promotion initiatives.
Ms Shipley: Is my right hon. Friend aware that, among France, Germany, Italy and ourselves, Britain is the only country to have experienced a fall in its share of exports to the tiger economies and in its share of total world exports?
Mr. Cook: My hon. Friend makes her point tellingly--[Laughter.] I thought that it was superbly researched. It is precisely because of the factors that she described that we made promoting exports and boosting jobs high priorities in our Foreign Office mission statement. I am currently exploring with Lord Simon at the Department of Trade and Industry how we can increase the exchange between business and the Foreign Office to ensure that, both abroad and at home, we have business expertise. I hope to make an announcement before the House rises for the summer on increasing the number of business men on short-term secondments at our posts abroad.
Mr. Baldry: The right hon. Gentleman knows that, excluding Japan, we export more per head of population than any other country in the world. It is, of course, good news that the Foreign Office still intends to promote exports, but how does the right hon. Gentleman intend to reconcile, in many markets, our need to promote exports with the much higher profile to be given to promoting human rights?
Mr. Cook: Of course the hon. Gentleman is right to say that, historically, back into the previous century, Britain has exported a much higher proportion of GDP than many other nations. We have been living off that inheritance, and over the past 10 years the growth in our exports has not been as fast as that of our competitor nations, which have proved more competitive.
Moreover, during that period many of those nations have observed a regard for human rights that outstrips the regard that Britain has shown. I see no contradiction between our twin commitments to ensure that we boost Britain's exports to free economies and its contribution to supporting free
democracies. It is Conservative Members who must explain the £800 million loss that they made by exporting arms and other machinery to Saddam Hussein.
Mr. Sheerman:
Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is a good sales pitch to have a good human rights record? In the course of his duties, will he do an audit--a proper assessment--of best practice in our outposts around the world? Many of us have experience of our embassies. Some of them in some countries are absolutely excellent, but others are not. I hesitate to name names, but I will mention Berlin, where our embassy is difficult to contact and is hardly ever open to British business men. I hope that we can examine best practice and try to spread it.
Mr. Cook:
I hope that our embassy in Berlin will be open in time for the transfer of government. It will be a prestigious building--one of the prime architectural designs of the century. [Interruption.] My hon. Friend made a serious point. He raised an important issue for the many millions of people who work in British exporting industries and made the important point that there may be good practice that succeeds in some embassies which we need to transfer to others. That is one of the reasons we are anxious to take more business men with expertise in the export industries to some of those embassies. They will bring a culture of business application, and share with the diplomats who will remain behind after they have gone the knowledge of what business needs from our posts abroad, so that it can be provided better.
16. Rev. Martin Smyth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his Department's policy in respect of freedom of religious practice and expression. [1173]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
We are strongly opposed to religious intolerance and discrimination in any form. The Government are committed to the principles enshrined in the universal declaration of human rights, the international covenant on civil and political rights, the European convention on human rights and the declaration on the elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief.
Rev. Martin Smyth:
I thank the Minister for that response. Does he agree that, where there is intolerance in religious practice, whether in Israel, Saudi Arabia or elsewhere, we shall oppose it, because when people come to this country we allow complete freedom of religious practice and expression--which also includes the right to change?
Mr. Lloyd:
I endorse the hon. Gentleman's remarks. We extend freedom of religion to all who seek refuge within these shores. We continue to raise questions of religious intolerance with those who practise it in their countries--and will continue to do just that.
Mr. Corbyn:
What pressure can my hon. Friend bring to bear on the Iranian regime to lift the fatwa against Salman Rushdie?
Mr. Lloyd:
That is an important question. While we view the election of a new Iranian president with interest, it must be made clear to Iran that any improvement in relations between Britain and Iran will depend greatly on the lifting of the fatwa against Salman Rushdie, who is after all a British citizen. Indeed, it is outrageous that the fatwa was issued against him in the first place.
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