11
-
-
suffering that results. We maintain a substantial overseas aid
£1387m in the current financial year, growing in real
programme
terms, and of high quality.
We are heavily involved in the common effort of the industrialised
countries to assist the developing world. We have, for example
cancelled the aid debt of the 22 poorest countries at a cost of
nearly £1bn. Through the IMF we are encouraging developing
countries to reform their economies and helping to provide new cheap
lending to the poorest. The Toronto summit in June endorsed an
initiative from my rt hon Friend the Chancellor on debt relief for
Africa. This is a record to be proud of.
My Lords, the challenge our policy faces in the modern age is to find ways to co-operate with other countries in pursuit of our
interests. To improve the effectiveness of the organisations
through which we work. The world has become too complicated a place
for any country even a superpower to be able consistently to
secure its aims by unilateral action.
www
Harold Nicolson argued in a lecture to new Foreign Service entrants
in 1945 that British Foreign Policy had constantly tended to become
"non-committal".
My Lords, today we are committed. Actively committed to, and
working to influence, NATO, the EC, the UN and other organisations in a changing world. Committed to a commonsense approach which
combines strong defence with the search for arms control agreements,
and which works to build stability and prosperity on the basis of
democratic, free-enterprise values.
Our place is in Europe, but we have not abandoned our outward- looking tradition. Rather our influence has been strengthened through our membership of the EC. That influence is growing
wherever we are engaged worldwide.
Our policy is not one of passive reaction to events. It is rather a
SB1AAI