Press Briefing: 3.45pm Thursday 4 November 2004

Briefing from the Prime Minister's Spokesman on: Military Action/War on Terror and European Summit.

• Downing Street press briefings explained

Military Action/War on Terror

Asked if the Prime Minister agreed with the Foreign Secretary that there were no circumstances under which military action in Iran would be justifiable the Prime Minister's Spokesman (PMS) said that she didn't see any reason why the Prime Minister would disagree with that. Asked then if the Prime Minister also agreed with Geoff Hoon's prediction in the New Statesman that sophisticated countries with a significant military would be involved in Iraq style medium sized wars for the foreseeable future the PMS said that she did not see a problem with Geoff Hoon's comments either.

Asked if there were any plans for a trip to Washington DC before inauguration the PMS said there were none that she was aware of.

Asked if there was any comment on the expansion of the Black Watch area of operation on their first day of real action the PMS said that as far as she was aware the MoD had not confirmed that that was the case.

European Summit

Asked if the Prime Minister was going to try to persuade his European colleagues to adopt a more conciliatory and constructive partnership with the US the PMS said that she thought her colleague had addressed this issue in the morning briefing. He had said that no doubt the US election would be discussed but that we would not brief on discussions before they had taken place.