Prime Minister
As you know, we have had quite a busy day and a very interesting one so far. We began by meeting representatives of the Confederation of Finnish Industry and the Anglo-Finnish Board of Trade and had a very interesting discussion about things which affect us all. Obviously, the crisis in the Gulf is one of them because it may have an effect on the economy, but perhaps we spent more time on the question of Europe—the European Community—and the arrangements that are going on and being negotiated now with the EFTA countries, Finland being one of those EFTA countries. I expressed the wish that those negotiations would be successful. I think that on the whole, the EFTA countries have a very good deal with their access to the very large market of the Economic Community and that it should benefit both them and the European Community as a whole. We also talked about one or two industrial matters such as costs and so on.
I then went across, as you know, to see Harri Holkerithe Prime Minister, where we talked together for just over an hour; again, similar questions with the big East-West question and the way in which it has changed since he last came to see us in Britain; the Gulf question and the future of the operations there and the United [end p1] Nations Resolutions and also the European question. Those were broadly the three areas which we covered and one or two bilateral questions—not very many problems as I do not think there are many problems bilaterally between Finland and Britain. The balance of trade is very much in favour of Finland as far as the visible balance is concerned but I think we are catching up on the services.
We had a walk, as you saw—a very pleasant walk through the market—and saw the excellent produce on display and then I went to see Mauno Koivistothe President, who has made an official visit to Britain, and had a talk and a very pleasant lunch in which we both made short speeches—short speeches are the order of the day here, which is a very good thing, particularly for those who have to make them as well as those who have to listen!
This afternoon, we have been down to see the Neste Oy Oil Refinery and had a talk with the Minister of the Environment about environmental matters as they affect the Baltic and, of course, with regard to acid rain and we have just come back—as you have seen—partly by helicopter and partly by one of the boats of the navy and here we are!
Now, over to you for questions! [end p2]
Question
Prime Minister, Mr. Kinnock has called for a recall of Parliament, an emergency debate on the issue of what is going on in the Gulf. Will you accede to that?
Prime Minister
When I get back I will of course attend to Neil Kinnock 'shis letter and consult with my colleagues. I think that John MacGregorthe Lord President at the moment is in Australia but doubtless we shall be able to contact him.
Question
What is the reaction to Saddam Hussein 's offer that women and children will be allowed to leave?
Prime Minister
I think we should have one question at a time per person. Shall we go on to someone else! Now, you offered to pay for my coffee this morning! “Evening Standard” , come along, yes! You offered to pay for my coffee. Now I asked you if you would pay, so your question next! After that, we will have the BBC!
Question (Evening Standard)
Could I ask what is your reaction to the offer to free the women and children by Saddam Hussein, given that the arrangements now seem to be beginning to be under way for that to happen? [end p3]
Prime Minister
First, Saddam Husseinhe is doing those things which he should have done in the first place. Those women and children should never have been held nor indeed should the men be held. That is totally contrary to what is agreed at international law, so in fact he is beginning to rectify something which he should never have done.
We have been trying to get confirmation through our ambassador in Baghdad that the women and children can leave and to make precise arrangements. I understand that our airlines are ready to fly and want to file flight plans and make precise details. Until we get authority to make precise details, we shall not know what precisely the position is and our ambassador in Baghdad and with the Iraqi ambassador in London, we are trying to find out precisely what we can do to bring those women and children out, and I hope that all the men nationals who are held in Baghdad or Kuwait will have a similar freedom to travel, which is a fundamental freedom.
Paul Reynolds (BBC Radio)
Could I ask you this question? Everybody now understands that the policy is one of enforcing sanctions. Can I ask you specifically how long you are going to give this policy to work and second, can you be a little bit more specific than you have been so far about the options available if those sanctions should fail?
Prime Minister
No. I was asked that question at the last main press conference I gave and you will perhaps recall the answer I gave, that our strategy is first defence of all the territories in the Gulf to see that they are not attacked and secondly, a strict [end p4] enforcement of sanctions, which has now been agreed by United Nations.
We will pursue that policy rigorously and review it from time to time. It will take a time to work—I do not know quite how long—but we must persevere with it and be quite resolute and, as you know, we have never said that we reject the military option but at the moment our strategy is defence of each country of the Gulf coupled with strict enforcement of sanctions and we look at the whole strategy from time to time together with other countries, but we intend to stick to this one for the present.
Question
Prime Minister, will you welcome Finland as a full member to the European Community?
Prime Minister
That is a matter for Finland to decide whether she would wish to apply or whether she thinks that she probably gets the kind of deal that she wishes as a member of EFTA. I think there is no difficulty in that Finland is a neutral country—we already have one neutral country in the European Community—but it would be a matter for Finland to consider whether she wished to apply and a matter for the whole Twelve to consider if she did so apply. At present, we are saying, I think, to people who have applied that it is as big a job as we can do to bring in the Single Act by the end of 1992 and we will not be considering any more applications before then. In the meantime, Finland is negotiating with the EC as part of EFTA, a special arrangement for EFTA. [end p5]
Question
(Inaudible)
Prime Minister
Tell me when I have used the word to which you object!
Question
(Same Man but Inaudible)
Prime Minister
If I might put it this way, if the word ever was used it is grossly outdated now!
Question
(Inaudible but re: United Nations)
Prime Minister
The United Nations Sanctions Resolution affects and applies to everyone. King Hussein has said that he will enforce sanctions and I shall press him to do so rigorously.
Question
Would you please say something about the German reunion now coming sooner than first supposed? Do the British feel afraid of the German power in Central Europe? [end p6]
Prime Minister
Germany will be the largest country in the European Community and a very powerful country at that. She is well on the way to unification. Precisely when it occurs is very much a matter for herself and for East Germany. We hope that when it does occur we will have got all of the residual problems over Berlin and anything which affects the former position of the Four Powers sorted out but I think we are very well on the way to that.
Question (… . Magazine)
After having met the Finnish Prime Minister three times in a year, what do you think about him as a person and politician?
Prime Minister
I very much enjoy my meetings with Harri Holkerihim! They are direct and to the point, which suits me a treat!
Question
Prime Minister, measured to the Finnish scale, you made some quite hard statements on Iraq and Mr. Saddam over the past few weeks. In your opinion, is it possible that these kind of statements could have any kind of effect on the status of the hostages in Iraq and Kuwait?
Prime Minister
No. Any statement I have made is nothing like as hard as what Saddam Hussein has done—to march into a country with military force and take it, also to take hostages, men, women and children, the wrong time to hide behind the skirts of the women and the [end p7] children and, as our Douglas HurdForeign Secretary said in London today, now to play cat-and-mouse with them. The real harsh, hard things that have been done—ruthless, callous—are those of Saddam Hussein and the United Nations has made its views known: that Iraq must withdraw from Kuwait and the rightful government of Kuwait be restored. That is not negotiable. What Mr. Perez de Cuellar will do is to see how Iraq complies with that Resolution.
Question
Prime Minister, would you wish that Finland would join in some way the multi-national UN forces in the Gulf and if not, what is the Finnish role in this crisis?
Prime Minister
Again, that is a matter for Finland to decide but I think that Finland will probably be very helpful with some of the humanitarian aid that is needed for some of those people who have hitherto been caught in Iraq. I hope some of them will now be able to get out and I hope eventually that all of them will be able to get out. It is not only the people who have been taken as hostages; I think you also have to remember that Arabs, Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and other nationalities have been flooding out of Iraq through both Jordan and Turkey in their anxiety to get away from Saddam Hussein 's regime.
Question (BBC TV)
Could I ask you just to clarify, will you be looking favourably on what Mr. Kinnock is asking for in his letter or not?
Prime Minister
I will be giving my full attention to it and will of course [end p8] consult with my colleagues. What you are wanting is an answer before I have considered it and that I do not give!
Question (Swedish TV)
Would you appreciate it if the Swedish Government, as the Danish, send a symbolic warship to the Gulf area to support the United Nations boycott?
Prime Minister
That is a matter again for Sweden. I think we work very well, all of us who are there, with other ships who come. It is absolutely vital that that boycott be rigorously upheld but that is a matter for Sweden to decide.
Question
Prime Minister, I take it that you do not believe that neutrality of a European state is an obstacle to being a full member of the European Community in future, despite the fact that the EEC is developing perhaps a common foreign policy and possibly political union?
Prime Minister
Well, it can't be a bar because the Republic of Ireland is a full member and, as you know, was and is neutral. It is one of the things which I say, when they suggest that we want a common security policy: how can you have a common security policy? First, the Republic of Ireland is neutral and secondly, France is not militarily integrated into NATO. [end p9]
Question (Associated Press)
Prime Minister, President Saddam Hussein has offered to talk to you on television. Are you prepared to discuss the Gulf crisis with him and Mr. Bush?
Prime Minister
Certainly not! There is nothing to discuss! The United Nations has made the position clear: Iraq must withdraw from Kuwait and the rightful government of Kuwait be restored. That is not for discussion—it is for implementation.
Nick Wood (The Times)
Can I just bring the Prime Minister back to the Gulf again! Did you say that you welcome the talks that will take place tomorrow between the Secretary-General of the UN and the Iraqi Foreign Minister?
Prime Minister
No. I said that as far as I understood it, what Mr. Perez de Cuellar was saying was that the United Nations Resolutions have decided what is to be done and really the question is implementation. I, as you know, have great faith in Mr. Perez de Cuellar. He is not negotiating about those Resolutions; they have decided what has to be done. What now has to follow is how Iraq complies with those Resolutions—now how she does, but when, and she has been told to do it forthwith!
Question
During the Eighties, the West supported Iraq all the time in the Gulf. Was it really a surprise to you what Saddam Hussein was preparing? Against Iran, the West was all the time on Iraq's side. [end p10] Was it really a surprise to you what happened?
Prime Minister
If I might respectfully say so, we were not supplying from Britain arms to either side. It has been our policy not to supply arms to either side when you have got a conflict and we were not supplying either side.
It was clear, a few days before, that troops were massing north of the Kuwaiti border and, of course, it was a matter for assessment as to whether they would move or not. The fact was they did move, they did invade, they did take a country by force and they must now withdraw from Kuwait according to the United Nations Resolution and the rightful government be restored.
We really cannot have in the modern world one country taking over another by force and the rest of the world not reacting and reacting very sharply—and the rest of the world has said they must withdraw.
Question (TV News)
I would like to ask you about the interview you gave in London yesterday where you said that the EFTA countries should involve themselves more in the crisis in the Gulf. Does that mean that you would like Finland to send troops, for example, to the Gulf?
Prime Minister
That is a matter for Finland and the other countries, whether they in fact go and join in the Gulf or whether they in fact, as I believe some of them will, help with some of the other real problems that have also arisen. First, for example, places like Turkey and [end p11] Jordan will suffer, their economies will suffer very considerably indeed through implementing the sanctions. It is vital those sanctions be fully implemented and naturally they will want some compensation. There are also great humanitarian problems with the large number of refugees leaving. We are helping with some of those and some other countries will help with the compensation.
Those countries who do not feel able to send help to enforce the sanctions might wish—I believe many of them will wish—to contribute in other ways.
Question (Radio News, Finland)
Taking the situation today, how do you assess the risk for war in the Gulf?
Prime Minister
I cannot go any further than I have. We have not ruled out a military option but our present strategy is strong deterrent defence for all of the other countries in the Gulf area and secondly, rigorous enforcement of sanctions and I believe that if those are rigorously enforced, they will have a very considerable effect and should bring Mr. Saddam Hussein to withdraw from Kuwait—provided they are rigorously enforced. [end p12]
Question
Mrs. Thatcher, there has been a suggestion that Mr. Nelson Mandela would work as a mediator in the Gulf crisis. How do you think on that and is any mediator needed?
Prime Minister
No, so your first question does not arise because there is no mediator needed. The policy has been laid down by the Security Council of the United Nations. The policy is not in doubt. The policy is that Iraq must withdraw from Kuwait—that has been laid down. The further policy under the further Resolutions is that sanctions must be imposed under Chapter 7 and the further policy under further Resolutions is that those sanctions can be rigorously enforced including by the use of force. There is no need for a mediator. The policy is clear and will remain clear and must be enforced.
Question
You are participating tomorrow in the European Democratic Union's Conference. How do you find the meaning of this particular Conference?
Prime Minister
I find it very significant. It is a conference of the Centre-Right parties who believe passionately in the kind of things that I believe in and have tried to bring in in Britain, which is strong government but limited government, strong to do those things which only government can do and to maximise the freedom of the subject under a rule of law; minimising the bureaucracy, maximising [end p13] enterprise and creating wealth which is then used in our countries both for families and also to have very good social services, health services and so on.
Ours, I think, is the policy that is winning. The alternative policy was to enlarge the powers and area of government, as you did in the Soviet Union and in any countries which practise a pretty sharp socialism as we had in our country before we took over. I think that has been shown not to produce the kind of standard of living or the dignity that the policy which I support does and I think it was time that those Centre-Right parties got together in conference as the Socialist International had done for years but, of course, socialism is nothing like as popular because it has been seen to have disastrous effects on the countries where it has been carried out and maintained over a prolonged period.