Downing Street Says » 2004

» Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Fox Hunting Bill

Asked for some guidance on the Prime Minister's plans for the Hunting Bill the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that we would have to wait and to see what amendments the Speaker selected. But as he had said yesterday if an amendment was selected which restored the Bill to the original Alun Michael Bill then the Prime Minister would vote for that compromise amendment. Asked if the Prime Minister expected the Cabinet to support that amendment the PMOS said that this was still a free vote. It was a free vote for Ministers just as it was for other MPs; in this regard the Prime Minister was just a Member of Parliament like any other. Asked to explain what the original Alun Michael Bill was proposing the PMOS said that what it proposed was licensed hunting. What it did not propose however was hare coursing or stag hunting, unlike the House of Lords Bill as it had come back and it did not have a wider definition of hunting. The House of Lords Bill allowed hunting for wildlife management as well as pest control, whereas the original Alun Michael Bill was restricted to pest control. Asked if the only way this measure could get on the statute book was if it passed through both houses and not through the Parliament Act the PMOS said his understanding was that was correct.

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

President Chirac’s Comments

Asked for a reaction to President Chirac's comments stating that the world needed a European balance to the US the PMOS answered "Quel Surprise!" This was a view which the President had expounded on many occasions. There was no surprise about it nor was there any hiding that there was a disagreement about it either. We did not believe in a world vision where you had competing spheres of influence. The President did. That was an open disagreement between us and we should be honest and transparent enough to admit that. We believed however that we could still work together because our whole approach, as the Prime Minister outlined in his Guildhall speech last night, was that we should focus on outcomes. We should focus on what we wanted to achieve. If you looked at a whole range of issues such as Iran where we had just worked successfully with the French and Germans, Africa, Afghanistan, and even the Middle East we shared a common view on what it was we were trying to achieve. So there was no reason why we could not continue to work together on issues like that, as well as on European issues, even if that meant conversations on Thursday would be tougher on other matters. That was life.

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Fallujah

Asked what the Prime Minister thought of the video purportedly showing a US soldier killing a wounded Iraqi soldier in Fallujah the PMOS said that the important thing was, as the US Lieutenant-General said this morning, that the matter was fully investigated and we would await the outcome of that thorough investigation. It was also however important to recognise what the Iraqi Ministry of Health had said after sending a team into Fallujah yesterday. It found that the hospital had ample medical supplies. It had not found citizens in dire need of food and water because most citizens had left the city. It had found that out of the 17,000 buildings only 200 had sustained major damage and it reiterated that the Iraqi Government's priority was the restoration of security and the rule of law. The Interim Iraqi Government in Fallujah now had six objectives, as they had outlined yesterday:

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (6)

Condoleezza Rice

Asked if there was any reaction to the confirmation of Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State the PMOS said that he did not think there had been an official confirmation yet. But in general terms Condoleezza Rice was someone who we had a close and regular working relationship with and someone whom the Prime Minister held in immense regard because of the way in which we had worked together over the last few years.

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

EU/Chancellor

Asked if there was any reaction to the European Union's comeback to the Chancellor where they had suggested that Britain was just as much at fault for "jobs for the boys" as the rest of Europe the PMOS referred journalists to the Treasury's reply.

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

» Monday, November 15, 2004

Colin Powell

The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) told journalists that the Prime Minister had made the following remark about Colin Powell following the announcement of his resignation: "He is a remarkable man and has been a good friend to this country over a very long period". Asked if the Prime Minister was given advanced warning of Colin Powell's resignation the PMOS said that he did not brief on private conversations.

Briefing took place at 15:45 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

PM’s Speech

The PMOS said that the Prime Minister's speech at the Lord Mayor's Banquet tonight would defend this country's relationships with both the US and Europe saying that we had a unique role in relation to both. He would say:

Briefing took place at 15:45 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Fox Hunting

Asked if the Prime Minister would support the Hunting Bill if it returned with amendments similar to the Alun Michael style Bill the PMOS said the that the Prime Minister had always supported a compromise as outlined in Alun Michael's approach. So, assuming there was a suitable amendment the Prime Minister would be voting for restitution of the Alun Michael amendment. Asked which version of the amendment that was the PMOS said that the Prime Minister would judge the amendment as it was and assuming it reflected the Alun Michael amendment the Prime Minister would vote for it. The vote remained a free vote. Asked why he was indicating the Prime Minister's voting intention, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister believed it was right to indicate his degree of support for the compromise.

Briefing took place at 15:45 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Washington Visit Talks

Asked what the themes of the Prime Minister's Mansion House Speech would be, the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) replied that it would be a reflection of the Prime Minister's view of why the relationship with America, Europe and the evolving world scene was important. It was imperative that the US and Europe worked together. It would also reflect the opportunity to seize the moment in the Middle East, which was something he talked about in his press conference with President Bush.

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Middle East

Asked if there was going to be a London conference on the Middle East, the PMOS replied that that suggested we expected a conference to come out of Friday's meeting, which we didn't. He said not to put horses and carts in the wrong order, and what was important was to get the electoral process on the road in Palestine, and to do everything possible to help it. Only after the elections have taken place can support for the new Palestinian government be worked out.

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (3)

Original PMOS briefings are © Crown Copyright. Crown Copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland. Click-use licence number C02W0004089. Material is reproduced from the original 10 Downing Street source, but may not be the most up-to-date version of the briefings, which might be revised at the original source. Users should check with the original source in case of revisions. Comments are © Copyright contributors. Everything else is © Copyright Downing Street Says.

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» Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Fox Hunting Bill

President Chirac’s Comments

Fallujah

Condoleezza Rice

EU/Chancellor

» Monday, November 15, 2004

Colin Powell

PM’s Speech

Fox Hunting

Washington Visit Talks

Middle East

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