TNAG-1755-FCO40-2475-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-debates-1988 — Page 43

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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.

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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

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