Prime Minister
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We welcome Chancellor Kohl this evening. We are very pleased that he has been able to come so soon after he has taken up office in the Federal Republic of Germany.
We have had very fruitful discussions. If I might put it this way, I think it was a true meeting of minds. It is not the first time that Herr Kohl has been to No. 10 Downing Street; he was with us much earlier in the year, in January, and we know full well one another's views on how to tackle the great problems that face both Germany and Great Britain. We are both affected by a world recession and we both have very similar ideas about how we should approach that recession to overcome it.
Naturally, we have also talked in the wider sphere very much about things which affect us both in the European Community. We did, of course, discuss the question of steel for which this week is so important, because as you know, certain decisions have to be made on Thursday, unless the United States is to put countervailing duties upon our steel exports. There is a very important cabinet meeting in [end p1] Germany tomorrow, to decide whether Germany will join with the rest of Europe in agreeing to limit our exports to the United States in order to prevent action from the United States against our steel exports.
We had a preliminary discussion on the Budget, but we shall take that up in more detail in Bonn when we meet next week.
We had a much wider discussion about East-West relations, in particular the situation in Poland, in the whole context of the relationship between the Soviet Bloc and the Western Alliance. We are both staunch members of the Western Alliance and whatever problems there may be between the members of that Alliance they are small compared with the interests that unite us.
This has been a very fruitful exchange. It is vital that the Federal Republic of Germany and ourselves stick together, both in the European Community and in NATO—vital for the future not only of our two countries, but the future of the free world.
I shall be going to Bonn on October 28th, for our customary bilateral consultations and we shall discuss the matters in very much more detail then.
I now have great pleasure in asking Chancellor Kohl to speak to you. [end p2]
Chancellor Kohl (in German—translation by Interpreter)
Prime Minister, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Together with my Colleague, Minister Hans Dietrich Genscher, I have come here today with great pleasure a very few days after my election to the office of Federal Chancellor for first talks in this new office of mine and to discuss with you problems which we have jointly together.
Of course, today's meeting has been because of the shortness of time which we have available, a preparation for meeting which will take place in Bonn between the two of us next week.
I am grateful, Madam, that you are coming not only to what has been called the Anglo-German Summit in Bonn, but that you are also going to visit Berlin together with me, to show the understanding which you feel for the situation of my divided country.
Fortunately, the bilateral problems which we have discussed and which exist are very small. We both feel ourselves responsible for the development in Europe and throughout the world and we want, as we have discussed today, to do all we can to further the Alliance, which is for both of us the very basis of our policies. It is very important that we should stand together in Europe and I consider that NATO is the European end of the Atlantic bridge and I agree, Prime Minister, when you say that any differences that may exist between Europe and the United States weigh little against the joint tasks which we have in the Alliance. [end p3]
There are very many important discussions going on at this moment throughout the world and we stand, both of us, in favour of and strongly want to have and see progress made in the field of disarmament and controlled disarmament throughout the world and we want to see CSCE negotiations continued and lead to success and for that success then to be honoured.
Of course, today we also spoke about Poland and we are aware, both of us, of the joint responsibility that we feel for European solidarity as a whole.
And then, there is the European Community. Of course, in a Community such as that, certain differences of interest do arise. Well, I can tell you that I am of a new generation. I am the first Federal Chancellor who is a child of the post-war generation, who in the years after the war fought passionately for the creation of a United Europe and I will do what is in my power to make sure that we will move forward to the unification of Europe in the course of this decade.
Prime Minister
Until next week in Bonn and Berlin. Thank you very much for coming. Much appreciated and greatly enjoyed it. It has been very fruitful. Thank you. Goodbye.