Rehw.
Parl
46
PS/Mr Garel-Jones
IN CONFIDENCE
HKB 011/6
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
01 APR 1993 From: Edward Bickham
DESK OFFICER INDEX
PA
REGISTRY Artur Take.
23/2
24/2
Mr Manis Me James-Jones Miss James dr
1/3
CONSERVATIVE BACKBENCH COMMITTEE
Special Adviser
Date 19 February 1993
CC: PS
23/1
PS/Lady Chalker PS/PUS
Mr Appleyard Mr Jay
Mr Cary
Miss Duffield
Mr Eaton
Mr Ricketts Mr Fraser
1. On the evening of Wednesday 17 February the Foreign Secretary addressed a joint meeting of the Conservative Backbench Joint Foreign and European Committees. Sir Peter Hordern was in the chair. 33 other MPs were present, of which almost half were Euro-rebels. Nevertheless, the meeting was generally cordial.
2. The Foreign Secretary opened by saying that anyone who thought that the Law Officers tailored their advice on an issue like Amendment 27 to suit Ministers was sadly mistaken. Turning to the substantive issues of the Bill he emphasised that ratification was in the national interest. Before the Treaty it had been possible to believe that the future of the Community inevitably lay in the creation of a European Super-State. Objectively this was no longer a tenable view. In particular, the Treaty enshrines intergovernmental cooperation as a central dimension of European integration rather than as a staging post to the eventual absorption of foreign policy and home affairs into the Community structure. the common foreign and security policy there would be no attempts to "Europeanise" those issues where an individual member state has strong interests such as France in Chad or Britain in Hong Kong. Where interests do not coincide there will not be cooperation. Substantive decisions will be taken by unanimity.
On
3. Turning to Yugoslavia, the Foreign Secretary noted that the Clinton Administration had taken some time to examine ideas such as targetted bombing of Serbia or lifting the arms embargo on the Bosnian Muslims. They had decided to put these ideas on one side in favour of putting weight behind the existing Vance/Owen effort. They had placed great emphasis on increasing humanitarian relief, tightening sanctions and acting against war crimes. Getting the full weight and authority of America and Russia behind the peace effort was hugely important.
IN CONFIDENCE
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