Press briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Middle East, Red Tape, Social Policy, Turkey, Police Inquiry, Ambassador Appointments, NHS, Russia, General Pinochet and Christmas Presents
Middle East
Asked what the Prime Minister hoped to achieve in the Middle East, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that above all, what the Prime Minister wanted to do was identify where the problems that were preventing the situation from moving forward. The way the Prime Minister had expressed it in Washington last week was that the door to moving forward seemed to be barred at the moment. Prime Minister Olmert had made a very significant and important speech that recognised the need for Israel to move.
The situation on the Palestinian side, however, seemed more fluid, so what the Prime Minister would hope to achieve was to get an understanding of where things were moving to, and how we could help facilitate progress. What was important was that nobody pretended that there was just one lever that they could pull and everything would suddenly move forward. Rather, the momentum needed to go in the right direction, instead of the wrong direction. We had seen things such as the ceasefire which were progressive and were moving the right way, and that was what we wanted to build on. Therefore, the important thing was that we continued to push the situation forward as much as possible, whilst recognising that decisions had to be taken on the ground as well.
Asked if the Prime Minister would be getting involved in talks regarding the release of prisoners, the PMOS replied we had to first of all do the trip, see where we were, and build from there. Sequencing was part of the issue, as was confidence, and above all, the confidence that on both sides, that there was a recognition that we needed to end up with a genuine two-state solution. If people read Prime Minister Olmert’s speech, it did take us further forward, but equally, there needed to be progress on the Palestinian side as well.
Asked if we did not expect any progress on the prisoner situation whilst we were in the region, the PMOS replied that he was not holding out that prospect. What he did believe was that we could identify the issues that were holding things back at the moment.
Asked what the Prime Minister’s view was of President Talibani’s comments that the ISG report was "dead in the water", the PMOS said that he had not heard that particular comment. People would have different views of the ISG report, but at its heart was a recognition that what we were supporting in Iraq was a multi-ethnic democracy which would govern in a non-sectarian way. That was at the heart of our policy in Iraq, and we, and the Government as a whole believed that that was the right way forward. That was also the view that was expressed by Prime Minister Maliki.
Put that Geoff Hoon had said at the weekend that the Prime Minister had lost the argument with Washington over the strategy involving de-Ba’athification, and did the Prime Minister agree with that assessment, the PMOS replied that the Prime Minister had spoken about deBa’athification in the past. What was important at this stage was finding a viable way forward. That way forward was to proceed with the policy of training and supplying the right equipment to the Iraqi army so that it could take responsibility as the Iraqi Government wanted. As well as people looking back and trying to say what went wrong, they should also not lose sight of what went right. What had gone right were the democratic elections in Iraq, and the process of transferring provinces to Iraqi control and that process would continue. As the Prime Minister had said, it was a very difficult situation, and therefore, in a difficult situation, what was important was that people found a viable way forward that worked with the democratically elected representatives of Iraq and the Iraqi Government.
Put that Mahmoud Abbas had said at the weekend that he had given up trying to form a unity government with Hamas, and did we think that was the right thing to do, the PMOS said that he was not going to act as a commentator for internal Palestinian matters. What was important was that we had said that we would work with any unity government as long as it recognised the internationally recognised principles of the Quartet and that we found a way forward. What would deliver for the Palestinian people was if there was a stable Palestinian partner for Israel to negotiate with. Whatever delivered that, we would support, as long as it ended up where there was a situation where there were two states that recognised each other.
Put that the Prime Minister had mentioned that there were alternatives to the Quartet, the PMOS replied that the Prime Minister had not mentioned there were alternatives to the Quartet principles. Rather, what he was talking about was whether we moved forward with a unity government, or some other means.
Red Tape
Asked for further details regarding the Prime Minister’s announcement on cutting red tape for businesses, the PMOS replied that we had said that we were going to set a target for each department to cut regulation by 25% by 2010, and today, the plans for each department would be published. The PMOS said that simplification plans contained over 500 initiatives which would deliver more than £2 billion worth of savings on admin costs for businesses and third sector organisations. Today was only the start, but people could view the plans set out for each department. The Prime Minister was hosting an event today with Pat McFadden, which would be a round table discussion, and there would be individuals attending from the voluntary sector and regulators.
Social Policy
Put that the Prime Minister had said in the past that family was central to social policy, and did he also now think that marriage was as well, the PMOS said that he had to be careful to not get drawn into party politics. However, the core of the issue was about how a relatively small group, but a group nonetheless that had fallen through the net, to be dealt with. That was precisely why we had published a social exclusion plan recently that looked at intensive support for the poorest people in society. That was also why we had appointed an independent advisor, Lisa Harker, on child poverty as well. Therefore, the key, in terms of the Government’s response had been to target help for those had fallen through the net.
Asked if the Prime Minister believed that those people were from broken homes or were unmarried, the PMOS replied that what the Prime Minister’s belief was that people had to bear the responsibility of bringing up children, and therefore, what was the best way in which to do that which was the issue. Equally, what people had to do was to provide target help for those had fallen through the net, but in overall terms, chid poverty levels in the UK were now at a 15 year low.
Turkey
Put to the PMOS that the Foreign Minister’s meeting about Turkey today was a "crunch" meeting, the PMOS replied that decisions would not be taken until the end of the week. Our position on Turkey remained that we were very much in support of trying to promote EU membership, whilst recognising that other people had concerns. Margaret Beckett had said this morning that it was in the strategic interest of the EU, as well as in the interest of Turkey that the negotiations continued.
Police Inquiry
No
Ambassador Appointments
Asked to comment on the Ambassadorial appointments mentioned today in the papers, the PMOS replied that the FCO had put out a statement, so journalists should speak to them.
Asked by the Evening Standard if we were endorsing the bit that said it was another sign that Gordon Brown was putting his own people in place before he became Prime Minister, the PMOS said that even for the journalist, the question was remarkably loaded. The formal announcement made by the FCO, however, was the part that we endorsed.
Asked who would replace Sir Nigel Sheinwald, the PMOS replied that there was a formal process to be gone through.
NHS
Asked if the Prime Minister had any misgivings about the idea of forcing the NHS to break even by next April, or was it a Treasury idea, the PMOS replied that what was important was that a) we recognised that the majority of trusts were operating perfectly well, b) with regards to the minority, that we identified where the problems were coming from (and we were doing that) and c) that we dealt with that. That process of transparency was one which was being driven by the Government as a whole. In the past, there were hidden deficits, and what was different now was that those deficits had become transparent. Above all, people should recognise that it was a small minority.
Russia
Asked if there was any view on the Russians’ behaviour post-Litvinenko, for example, their getting the BBC World Service off air etc, the PMOS replied that the Prime Minister had made it clear that there should be no political or diplomatic bar on the police investigation. We expected co-operation from the Russian Authorities. The PMOS added that he was not going to give a running commentary on the investigation, but that was the standard which the Prime Minister had set here, and that was also the requirement from the Russian Authorities. The PMOS also said that in the past, we had expressed very firmly our concerns about human rights issues in Russian, and those concerns remained.
Asked if there had been any contact with President Putin about the case, the PMOS said that there had not been.
General Pinochet
Asked if we would be sending a Ministerial representative to General Pinochet’s funeral, the PMOS said it would be a matter for the FCO to decide.
Christmas Presents
Asked if the Prime Minister had bought his mother-in-law’s Christmas present yet, the PMOS replied that there were some issues that were too dangerous for him to get involved in! The PMOS added that the important question people should be asking was whether the PMOS would have time this week to buy his; if he was late to lobby this week, people would know why!
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