Speeches, etc.

Margaret Thatcher

Radio Interview for IRN (visiting Hungary)

Document type: Speeches, interviews, etc.
Venue: ?Atrium Hotel, Budapest
Source: Thatcher Archive: COI transcript
Journalist: Peter Murphy, IRN
Editorial comments: MT probably gave this interview after her Press Conference 1500-1600.
Importance ranking: Minor
Word count: 1160
Themes: Executive, Defence (arms control), Foreign policy (Central & Eastern Europe), Foreign policy (USSR & successor states), Leadership, Security services & intelligence, Trade unions

Peter Murphy

First of all, Prime Minister, can I ask you, has this visit been a success?

Mrs. Thatcher

I believe it's been a great success. I've had rather wonderful open and valuable talks, with Mr. Kadar, with Mr. Lazar and with President LosoncziThe President of the council, we got on very well and we talked in a very realistic way and I think it's made a contribution to East/West understanding, as well as to contribution to bilateral relations between Britain and Hungary.

P. Murphy

How soon are we going to see any results?

Mrs. Thatcher

You always ask that after one of these tours, it takes time,—we shall have a visit for Hungary … from Hungary for something called Hungarian days in London in April because we're trying hard to export to one another, that's a way of increasing contacts, I think it will take some time. Improving East/West relations is a long journey and I think we've taken a step towards it.

P. Murphy

Have you succeeded in changing any of the attitudes about relations between East and West, at least as far as the Hungarian government is concerned?

Mrs. Thatcher

I think, let's put it this way, I think we both understand that there's a political divide between us, NATO is …   . are countries which believe passionately in liberty, justice and democracy, we will constantly argue our case, we will constantly defend our cause. Other countries across the other side of the political divide think differently, believe differently, but it's in our common interest to pursue the cause of peace and to pursue it in a way which enables us both to feel secure and that means that we have to try to get back to disarmament talks and reduce the number of armaments, but in a balanced way, so that we always can feel secure and that whatever we do must always be verifiable.

P. Murphy

You say get back to disarmament talks but what can Britain and Hungary do because after all they're not actually involved in the talks, you've got to get the Soviet Union and the United States together?

Mrs. Thatcher

On the nuclear talks, yes, on the talks at Stockholm we are all there and NATO has tabled some very concrete measures to try to build confidence between East and West, a very concrete series which I hope will be taken and negotiated on, line by line. We also belong to the (mutually balanced) force reductions in Vienna, so we are presently at two of them and we have had a particular role, you know, in trying to reduce chemical weapons, people sometimes overlook that. Britain's been very active in trying to reduce chemical weapons and indeed we have abandoned all of ours but I am afraid that the Soviet Union has not followed our example.

P. Murphy

Did you find that the issue of Cruise missiles being stationed in Britain was a stumbling block towards a better understanding? [end p1]

Mrs. Thatcher

No, I always make our view perfectly clear and I've made my view very very clear on many many occasions, that had the Soviet Union taken down her SS20s which she's stationed, all the time negotiations were going on, we would not then have had to station Cruise and Pershings. If she's still willing to take down her very large numbers of SS20s, we will not need to complete our five year programme of stationing all Cruise and Pershing, but until she comes down we shall go on with our programme.

P. Murphy

Do you feel after the 48 hours you've had here that you have a better understanding of the fears of the Warsaw pact countries though about the West?

Mrs. Thatcher

I don't think they need have fears because NATO is a defensive alliance, she threatens no-one, one always tries to get that message across and I remember being in the conference at bonn., when NATO took the decision never to use any of her weapons except in response to an attack, so therefore we could not possibly start a war.

P. Murphy

You've said that this is the first step on a long journey, when do you expect to see the second step?

Mrs. Thatcher

I haven't yet decided, I think we must look very carefully at this one, in retrospect, I think we must follow this up with our relationships between Hungary and the United Kingdom, which we shall be doing in the near future and then we must consider how best to folow up our part of the dialogue between East and West.

P. Murphy

What about a visit to Moscow, is that somewhere in the future?

Mrs. Thatcher

I have myself no plans to make a visit to Moscow. I went through Moscow as Prime Minister when I was on my way to the Tokyo summit and Mr. Kosygin very kindly came out to the airport and we had two hours talks then which I very much enjoyed and I thought were valuable. I have not been to Moscow since and I do not intend at the moment to go to Moscow. I will be very happy if either …   . if the Foreign Secretary came to Britain or Sir Geoffrey HoweOur foreign secretary went there. But I myself have no plans to go there yet, I think that would be far too soon.

P. Murphy

Do you expect to plan a more dominant role in Britain's foreign affairs over the next few years?

Mrs. Thatcher

I have played really quite a significant role, when I first went into no. 10 downing street, I didn't know quite how much time foreign affairs would take up of my day, when you think that we have three European summits every year plus a lot of bilateral arrangements between European countries and the United Kingdom: we have one economic summit every year, quite apart from extra very significant visits such as this one. Then you realise that I already play quite a significant role in foreign affairs and that's inevitable because Ministers coming to London and there are many many of them, like also to see the Prime Minister, whether they be Ministers of commerce or petroleum or defence, as well as foreign secretaries and of course heads of government. [end p2]

P. Murphy

Now finally you fly back to London tonight, where there's increasing speculation about the future of the Foreign Secretary, are you concerned about the stories in the British press?

Mrs. Thatcher

I have every confidence in Sir Geoffrey Howethe Foreign Secretary, I have worked with him, I have negotiated with him, he's splendid.

P. Murphy

Thank you very much Prime Minister.