Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Iraq, Higher Education White Paper/University Funding, Northern Ireland and Lobby.
Iraq
Asked for a reaction to yesterday’s discovery of empty chemical warheads in Iraq, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) said the Prime Minister believed it was important to wait for the weapons inspectors’ report. He would be meeting Hans Blix this afternoon at Chequers where no doubt they would discuss the find. The PMOS said he had absolutely no intention of trying to second-guess the inspectors’ work. We had to be patient. It was their job to carry out the inspections and assess the significance of what they found. Yesterday’s announcement was clearly interesting. We were not denying that. However, it was important for us to move forward one step at a time.
Asked if there had been any contact between the Prime Minister and President Bush over the last couple of days, the PMOS said that Downing Street was in regular contact with the US Administration, as you would expect. The Prime Minister had not spoken to President Bush over the last twenty-four hours, although he would not rule out the possibility of a telephone call in the days to come. They were in regular contact.
Asked to comment on reports from Washington that Iraq had moved illegal weapon components to private residences, underground facilities and mobile sites, the PMOS said that he had nothing to say about these reports. Yesterday, Hans Blix had underlined the need for the Iraqis to co-operate proactively. This followed Dr Blix’s call in his report to the Security Council last week for the Iraqis to answer the outstanding questions which had been identified. This process was not simply about allowing the inspectors back into Iraq. It was also about active co-operation, as underlined explicitly in Paragraph 4 of Resolution 1441. Whilst access both to Iraq and sites within Iraq was indispensable, it was not, of itself, sufficient. Dr Blix was due to return to Baghdad on Saturday night in advance of his report to the UN Security Council on January 27. It was now important for the Iraqis to engage in dialogue and answer the questions which were being posed legitimately by UNMOVIC, whose predecessor, UNSCOM, had reported back to the Security Council in 1999 following their departure from Iraq and had highlighted very real concerns about both chemical and biological agents, as well as munitions, which they had been unable to verify.
Asked if the Prime Minister would endorse President Chirac’s declaration today that the inspectors needed to be given more time to carry out their work, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister would underline to Dr Blix that he had faith in the inspections process. As he had said in his news conference on Monday, no one was imposing arbitrary deadlines. It was important for the inspectors to be allowed to do their work properly. We had now reached the stage where there were currently over 100 inspectors in Iraq, with more due to arrive in the days and weeks ahead. Over 150 inspections had taken place - the intensity and nature of which was increasing all the time. For example, helicopters had been used for the first time since the beginning of the year. The Prime Minister believed that Hans Blix was a serious figure in the process. He was doing a serious job and should be allowed to continue to do it.
Asked for a reaction to Saddam Hussein’s speech this morning, the PMOS said that it was just another speech from Saddam Hussein. In the broader scheme of things, what was infinitely more important and significant was his silence and absence of answers to the perfectly legitimate questions being raised by UNMOVIC and the IAEA, on behalf the UN, about his WMD capability.
Asked at what stage a judgement would be made about whether Saddam was in material breach of Resolution 1441, the PMOS said that this was a decision for the members of the UN Security Council to take on the basis of information provided by the weapons inspectors. It would not be helpful for him to start hypothesising or pre-judging what they might say. Although we had indicated that 27 January was not a deadline, we nevertheless continued to believe it was important. In addition, the option remained open to Dr Blix and Dr El-Baradei to update the Security Council at any time they thought it appropriate to do so. In answer to further questions, the PMOS said that people often ignored the fact that there was a duty on Iraq to co-operate with the inspectors - and that meant actively, not passively. This was an important principle and should not be under-estimated.
Asked about reports of a further update to the Security Council in March, the PMOS said that we would have to wait and see what Hans Blix would say in his report to the Security Council on 27 January. As we had said yesterday, there was no point in attempting to write the next chapter before seeing how this one concluded. We had to take things one stage at a time. That said, the final outcome was already clear - Saddam Hussein would be disarmed. How that might happen was still his choice.
Higher Education White Paper/University Funding
Asked if the Government would be announcing its proposals for higher education funding next week, the PMOS confirmed that the White Paper on Higher Education would be published next week. Asked if he recognised any of the latest round of stories on the subject of university funding, the PMOS pointed out that the vast majority of the policy decisions contained in the White Paper had been concluded and agreed. There was still some fine-tuning to be done on one or two issues. That was moving forward in the usual way. He said he had read a number of reports about this topic in today’s papers. He underlined that it was an important piece of policy and it was necessary for people to go back and understand the first principles as to why we were taking the action we were taking. This was all about ensuring that we could put more funding into our universities so that they were able to compete with their global counterparts and be the world leaders we wanted - and needed - them to be. It went without saying that we would do nothing to deter people from going to university, especially those from poorer backgrounds. Access was very important. However, it was important for people to understand that if we did not grasp this particular nettle, we would not have the skills base we needed in the future - and that, in turn, would threaten jobs and investment.
Asked how important he would consider the issues still outstanding to be, the PMOS pointed out that in any policy-making process, different areas were often concluded at different times. The vast majority of the White Paper had been agreed, which was why it would be published next week. Obviously if that wasn’t the case, he would not be in a position to be able to say that. Asked whether the White Paper would need full Cabinet approval, the PMOS said not as far as he was aware. The relevant Cabinet Committee had been moving the process forward and would continue to do so, having met yesterday to discuss the issue.
Asked if Downing Street accepted reports that the Chancellor had said there was no need for an immediate decision on university funding because he had earmarked generous settlements for universities until 2006, the PMOS said that he was not going to comment on newspaper reports. It was important for people to wait for the White Paper. He pointed out that while there had been a significant increase in university funding from central Government, it was clear that we had to look at ways we could supplement it if we wanted to guarantee the future of our universities.
Questioned as to whether the Prime Minister would become personally involved in the issue of university funding, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister took a keen interest in all areas of Government policy, as you would expect. He had been involved in discussions about this important issue from the outset and would continue to be involved in the future. Asked if the Prime Minister would have to arbitrate between rival Departments, the PMOS said that he would not characterise it like that. He repeated that the vast majority of the policy was already settled and agreed.
Asked if the Prime Minister was disappointed about the ‘open briefing’ from competing Government Departments which was reportedly taking place, the PMOS declined to comment on what different papers were alleging certain parts of Government was saying about another. We were focussing on the substance and importance of the issue.
Northern Ireland
Asked for the Prime Minister’s reaction to the announcement by the UVF and Red Hand Commando that they were withdrawing from future talks with the De Chastelain Commission, the PMOS said that this was obviously a disappointing development. However, contrary to their assertion, we would underline that this was not a one-sided process. The principle of consent was enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement and remained at its core. We needed to see a process which ensured that the activities of all paramilitary groups, including the IRA and the Loyalist paramilitaries, came to an end. The Prime Minister’s speech in Belfast last October had set out what had to happen to take the process forward. That remained the position. The Prime Minister had had useful discussions with the party leaders last week and would have further contacts next week. We were determined to move forward as best we could as we were entering an important period. Asked if the Prime Minister would be meeting the Taoiseach in Downing Street next week, the PMOS said yes.
Lobby
Jon Smith from the Press Association has replaced James Hardy of the Mirror as Chairman of the Lobby.
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