Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Saudi Arabia, President Reagan, G8 Summit, Immigration, Postal Voting and Iraq.
Saudi Arabia
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) told journalists that our thoughts this morning were with the families of the BBC’s Frank Gardner and Simon Cumbers. Those who had come across Simon through his work knew that he was a decent man. He would be missed.
President Reagan
Asked if the Prime Minister would be attending the funeral of President Reagan in the US on Friday, the PMOS said that these were matters of protocol for the US to deal with in the first instance, and he was therefore unable to give a definitive answer to the question at this stage.
G8 Summit
Asked what the Prime Minister believed were the priorities for the G8 Summit in Georgia this week, the PMOS said that there was a particular US focus on the broader Middle East and on Africa in the run-up up to the UK’s presidency of the G8 next year. As in recent years, the emphasis would be on practical matters which would help the reform process in both areas, ranging from the economy to education to helping political reform. This would be done in a way which would not impose reform from the outside but would ensure that we worked together with those countries involved. Further detail on this would emerge as the G8 Summit went on.
Immigration
Asked for a reaction to reports that a cap would be imposed on the number of people from Commonwealth countries applying for Working Holiday-Maker permits, the PMOS said that as the Home Office had made clear yesterday, we would deal with any problems that were identified. In this case, the problems did not relate to an increase in the number of applications being accepted but to a rise in the actual number of applications. The issue would be investigated and analysed and a solution would be proposed. He had no intention of pre-empting that process.
Postal Voting
Asked if the Prime Minister remained confident about the success of the postal ballot pilots, the PMOS said that the figures were not yet available. However, initial indications seemed to suggest that people had made an effort, and that was to be welcomed.
Iraq
Asked for an update on the new UN Resolution on Iraq, the PMOS said he thought it was worthwhile for people to cast their minds back three weeks, prior to the Prime Minister’s visit to Ankara, when we had set out a scenario envisaging what we had hoped might happen in the intervening period: firstly, the establishment of the interim Iraqi Government comprising the various elements of Iraq’s multi-ethnic society; secondly, the formation of a consensus around a new UN Resolution which we believed should be agreed with the incoming Iraqi Government. In that time, we had seen that scenario unfolding. It was important for people to recognise the progress that had been made. For example, we now had identifiable Iraqi politicians in charge of an Iraqi Government expressing their views about the way forward. They would be intimately involved in deciding the strategic framework within which the multi-national force would operate. This was clearly huge progress. Latest indications regarding the new UN Resolution on Iraq showed that a consensus was coming together quite quickly. However, it was important for people to exercise a little patience and wait and see how things transpired in the next few days. Asked if the objective was to reach agreement on the UN Resolution before the G8 Summit this week, the PMOS said that the objective was to get the Resolution passed as quickly as possible with as large a consensus as possible. We had seen the views of the new interim Iraqi Government as expressed by the Iraqi Prime Minister over the weekend and the Iraqi Foreign Minister before that. We would await the views of others before the Resolution was put to the vote.
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