Examination of Witnesses (Questions 220
- 225)
WEDNESDAY 7 JUNE 2000
THE RT
HON ROBIN
COOK, MR
EMYR JONES
PARRY CMG AND
MR NIGEL
SHEINWALD
Chairman
220. We do have long contacts.
(Mr Cook) I have to ask if we can get real in this
discussion. You are right of course that we have long contacts.
President Mugabe is trying to run this election in which he is
a candidate standing against Britain and in which Robin Cook is
the opponent. I have consistently sought for the last two months
to deny him that election strategy. He is standing in Zimbabwe
as to who can best run the economy and society of Zimbabwe and
his opponent is the leader of the opposition, not the foreign
spokesman for Great Britain. I do not think it would have been
helpful to the opposition if we had got ourselves into a another,
frankly, rather pointless conflict.
221. That is the stage you have got to with
the opposition as well?
(Mr Cook) I have regular contact with the leader of
the opposition. We have fully discussed how we conduct our policies.
His consistent message has been that we should not ratchet it
up in a way that enables Mugabe to try and pretend he is a national
liberator standing up to bullying by Britain but he should be
forced in the election to confront the damage done to the economy
and society of Zimbabwe during the time while he has been President.
The clear demand of the opposition is that they wanted international
transparency as the best prospect of inhibiting the violence and
intimidation of the past two months.
Mr Rowlands
222. Has it been inhibited? We are getting very
confusing reports but most of them are pretty depressing ones.
(Mr Cook) Peter Hain on Monday did express our deep
concern at the continuing intimidation and violence within Zimbabwe.
I do not think there can be any doubt that already the process
of democracy has been compromised by that violence and that intimidation.
Our task is to try and make sure that the observers are there
as quickly as possible as widely deployed as possible in order
to make it difficult for that violence to continue. Although the
violence unquestionably has continued there is beginning to be
some evidence that they are hesitant where the observers are present
and there have been some moves by the police in towns which have
been quite encouraging. It is important, though, that we get observers
out of the towns into the countryside which is where most of the
intimidation is taking place.
Chairman
223. Foreign Secretary, before wishing you bon
voyage can I address a question to you as a fellow parliamentarian.
You know that there is in respect of European matters on defence
currently a turf war between the WEU Assembly and the European
Parliament as to who will have the degree of oversight over defence
arrangements and you have said specifically that the whole defence
initiative is inter-governmental and therefore ourselves and the
Westminster Parliament are more relevant here. How do you see
the question of parliamentary accountability in respect of the
new defence initiative working out?
(Mr Cook) I am unequivocal that as this is an inter-governmental
matter that the parliamentary scrutiny should be carried out by
national parliaments holding ministers accountable for the decisions
they make as representatives of the nation. It is difficult to
see how the European Parliament could properly become involved
in this in circumstances in which the Commission has no immediate
role.
224. I am obliged. May I thank you again. We
have rearranged this and we are delighted you are with us. More
particularly, we wish you every success in your mission in Sierra
Leone.
(Mr Cook) Thank you very much, Chair. I look forward
with interest to reading the copy of the Kosovo report on the
way back.
225. Some newspapers claim that they have previews
of it.
(Mr Cook) I never believe anything I read in the newspapers!
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