Interviewer
Prime Minister, could I ask you first of all for your reaction to the news of government changes in Czechoslovakia?
Prime Minister
We heard them while we were talking at Camp David, President Bush and I with some of our other helpers. They had been fairly well foreshadowed so we were not surprised. We hope that it is a further step towards Czechoslovakia beginning to become a truly democratic nation but there is of course quite a way to go yet.
Interviewer
Does this mean that the West should be less cautious in its approach to the events in Eastern Europe now? [end p1]
Prime Minister
I do not think the West is particularly cautious, it is very welcoming to every step towards freedom. After all, we have worked for it for a very long time. We have said for a very long time, look the Western way of life is one which produces real freedom and a much higher standard of living and when, as in Hungary and Poland, they has taken these fundamental steps, we have offered very considerable aid to both.
Interviewer
Why do you insist therefore on talking about the need to keep up the West's defence when the threat is clearly receding day-by-day?
Prime Minister
I think you are presuming too much. There is a long way between the wish and the desire for freedom and the establishment of a sound democracy, not just a facade, not just voting for one party or just voting for different people of the same political persuasion, but genuine parties of different political persuasions also with a fundamental rule of law backed up by an impartial administration of justice and knowing that that can in fact endure, and backed up by the necessary economic reforms.
That takes a very considerable time and you never, never take risks with your defence, you are always prepared for any threat that may come from whatsoever direction. [end p2]
Interviewer
Do you think that short-range nuclear weapons should still be up-graded and modernised?
Prime Minister
The more you actually reduce your conventional forces, the more modern you need to have both them and your nuclear forces. At the moment we all stand by the NATO Communique and we consider the up-grading and modernisation of short-range weapons after 1992.
Interviewer
Should there be consideration within NATO of further reductions beyond those being considered in the conventional force talks in Vienna?
Prime Minister
I think at the moment it is sufficient to get through what is on the agenda for conventional force reductions at the moment. Do not forget, first you have to reach an agreement, then it takes quite a long time for it to be implemented and verified.
Now there is a suggestion that one or two things within that particular programme may give rise to difficulty and the others may go ahead before we solve those. But I think we should see what happens after we have agreement and implementation before we go further. [end p3]
Interviewer
Are you suggesting a condition for German reunification that all countries of that area should be democracies first?
Prime Minister
No, I am saying that at the moment borders are not on the agenda. The most important thing is to get genuine democracy into both the East European countries and the Soviet Union. That would be the biggest change, the biggest step forward we had had really this century and we hope that it will come about and we must bend all our efforts to that.
Interviewer
Is talk of challenge to your leadership at home damaging to Britain and yourself internationally?
Prime Minister
I just carry on as I always have done with the next job in hand and I shall continue to do so.
Interviewer
Why do you change your position? It appears you told the Sunday Correspondent that you might give up after the next election and now The Times says you are going to go on by popular acclaim if necessary? [end p4]
Prime Minister
The Sunday Correspondent asked me if it were likely that I would fight a fifth election and I think I replied that I really did not necessarily think that it was. That was terribly badly misinterpreted and people thought that I was going to give up immediately after the fourth election, which would not have been fair, you do not fight an election and then say: “I am going to give up immediately afterwards”.
So just to clear the air, because people were saying “You have created uncertainty”, I said: “Look, I am quite prepared to go on to a fifth if people wish me to do so and I would like to do so”.