» Thursday, May 17, 2007
Prince Harry
Asked if the Prime Minister had anything, to do with the decision not to send Prince Harry to Iraq, the PMOS said General Sir Richard Dannatt had made clear that it had been a decision taken for military reasons. The PMOS added that No.10 fully supported the reasons. It had been a difficult decision but the right decision. Asked if the decision had already been made by the armed forces and then signalled to the Prime Minister or had the Prime Minister been asked his view before the decision was made, the PMOS said he would not get into the processology other than it was a military decision, taken for military reasons and the Prime Minister fully supported those who had taken that decision.
Briefing took place at 9:00 | Read whole briefing | Comment (1)
Iran
Asked if the Prime Minister felt it was time for the international community to take a fresh approach in light of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) findings, the PMOS said in terms of Iran we made clear at the time of the release of the 15 navy personnel, that on the one hand we would not in any way pull our punches, in saying what they had done was acceptable or in dealing with the nuclear issue. The position that we had on the nuclear issue is not a British position but a United Nations (UN) position, a world position. At the time of the release of the 15 navy personnel contacts were made and those contacts would continue. The PMOS added that we had to make Iran try and become a constructive member of the international community, rather than defying the world over the nuclear issue and Iraq. Asked if was accepted that it was too late to stop Iran from enrichment, the PMOS said that the place to deal with Iran was at the UN, but we believed that the action that had been taken to date was having an impact in Iran and Iran recognised that it was isolated. Pressure had worked and would continue to work.
Briefing took place at 9:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)
» Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Washington
Asked if the Prime Minister was taking any novelists on his trip to Washington, the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) replied that he did not brief on what other media organisations were doing, any more than he briefed on what any other journalists was asking. Asked who Martin Amis was writing for, the PMOS replied that this was the ultimate process question. The journalist asking the question would be deeply insulted if the PMOS was to tell other people what he was doing, and it was not part of professional etiquette.
Briefing took place at 9:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)
EU
Asked if there was any reaction to the FT splash on Europe today, the PMOS replied that the piece cited German sources and he would not second guess what Germany was proposing or suggesting. The main point was that we already had opt-out on many home affairs matters, and he would not get in to speculation of what might or might not be proposed. But we would always retain the right to protect this country's interests as we saw fit.
Briefing took place at 9:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)
Scotland
Asked if the Prime Minister had spoken to Alex Salmond since the May 3rd, the PMOS replied that he did not know. Asked if it would be normal for the Prime Minister to speak to whoever was sworn in as First Minister today, the PMOS replied that we should take event by event.
Briefing took place at 9:00 | Read whole briefing | Comment (1)
» Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Prime Minister’s visit to Washington
Asked for information about the Prime Minister's pending trip to Washington this week, the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) told journalists that the Prime Minister would have dinner with President Bush one on one tomorrow evening. There would then be a working session in the Oval Office on Thursday morning and a press conference, followed by a working lunch. The PMOS said that there would be some other events, including a reception on Northern Ireland at the British Embassy, which would be a way of thanking Irish-America for its part. In terms of the subjects involved, the WTO would be high on the agenda, as it was approaching crunch point and the run up to the G8 summit would also be important, particularly on climate change. The PMOS stressed that the outcomes were expected at the summit and not during this visit. Other topics were Africa in terms of the G8, including Darfur where we believed the world needed to send a very clear message to the Sudanese government. Iraq obviously would be an issue, as would the Middle East peace process.
Briefing took place at 15:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)
Climate Change
Asked if we recognised the Guardian's story this morning about being close to persuading President Bush on a 5 point climate change plan, the PMOS replied that as he had said this morning, what we were seeking at the G8 was a general consensus and a way forward. That must include not just Europe, but also the US and the developing countries, including India and China. The end point of this negotiation is G8, and not this week, but obviously, this was a stepping stone to the G8.
Briefing took place at 15:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)
Honours Lists
Asked if the Prime Minister had postponed his resignation of the Honours Lists, the PMOS replied that as he had said earlier, all those questions were premature.
Briefing took place at 15:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)
Sir Haydn Phillips’ Report
Asked for further information regarding Sir Haydn Phillips' statement, the PMOS said that the important thing was that inter-party talks began this afternoon. We believed that that was the way to try and move this forward, and we hoped that everybody contributed to them. This was an interim report from Sir Haydn Phillips. What was now important was the process.
Briefing took place at 15:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)
Publications
Asked when was the Prime Minister going to publish his review on family policy, the PMOS told journalists that they would not have very long to wait.
Briefing took place at 15:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)
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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