TNAG-1325-FCO40-1737-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-debates-1984 — Page 12

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HMG

We

it is only because, thanks to the prescience of the

Noble Lord, Lord Gladwyn, we had a full debate on the

subject last week, immediately after the meeting.

welcomes the Declaration which was made in Rome.

have no doubt that WEU has an important role in

European defence and will help strengthen the Alliance

which remains, and must remain the forum in which

decisions affecting the security of all the allies are

taken.

9.

Threats to peace and to our interests do not occur

Britain has particular defence

only in Europe.

responsibilities outside the NATO area. Apart from the

Falklands, to which I shall return later, we have made

contributions to peacekeeping forces in Lebanon and

Cyprus, to naval deployments and to minehunting

operations in the Red Sea.

We also provide military

countries. All this

assistance and training to

reflects Britain's widespread commitments and

responsibilities. But these efforts are also an

important contribution to the protection and promotion

of general Western interests throughout the world.

10. No foreign affairs debate in 1984 would be complete

without discussion of Community issues. That in itself

is an indication of how far our attitude to Europe has

developed in the last ten years, and of how central our

membership of the Community is to our foreign policy.

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