TNAG-1755-FCO40-2475-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-debates-1988 — Page 31

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

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

to be able consistently to

-

for any country even a superpower

secure its aims by unilateral action.

-

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

That influence is growing through our membership of the EC. wherever we are engaged worldwide.

It is rather a

Our policy is not one of passive reaction to events. confident and imaginative effort to identify and develop new opportunities - in the EC, in East-West relations, in the settlement of regional conflicts. We intend to go on setting the pace, and thereby further to strengthen our security, prosperity and standing

in the world.

SB1AAI

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