asked the Minister for External Affairs if he will make a statement in the Dáil on the Government's policy with respect to the proposed European Security Conference discussed at a recent meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the EEC member and applicant countries.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - European Security Conference.
24.
The Government's policy in relation to a Conference on European Security, as I already told the Dáil, is that we welcome all effective measures to reduce tension and promote security and co-operation in Europe. We favour in principle a Security Conference but it should be carefully and thoroughly prepared if it is not to be a failure. We also consider it important that before the modalities of a conference are considered in depth real progress should be made in the talks on Berlin and inter-German affairs.
Can the Minister give us some indication of what Government policy was at the recent meeting? That is the question asked. We understand that the Danish Government took a somewhat different view from the view of some of the other countries. I am wondering whether we supported the Danish Government in their, perhaps, more optimistic view of the prospects, or whether we went along with the WEU majority on this issue. We are entitled to know what policy the Minister adopted. We know what the Danes did and what the other countries did, but we do not know what the Irish Government did.
The Deputy is creating a real problem in looking for confidential information after every meeting I have. I could not possibly run this office if I am to go on television with every detail of what happens. The meeting the Deputy refers to was a meeting of The Six to inform the four applicants of decisions taken in Munich at a meeting of The Six. This was information given by them to us in confidence. They asked, and we agreed, that no statements would be made by individual Ministers afterwards so as to make possible the exchange of information which takes place at such a meeting.
The fact that I spoke at the meeting did not change the nature of the meeting. It was a meeting to inform applicants of what had gone on at the Munich meeting. The fact that I spoke on this subject only means that I dealt with certain aspects of the European Security Council. I dealt with them within the limits of the policy which I have announced in the Dáil. Having agreed not to say what people said at the meeting, I do not feel free to say it now. I will tell the Deputy that I said nothing at the meeting that is not part of Government policy, and Government policy on the European Security Council was given in the Dáil—in answer to a question by the Deputy, I think—and was given by me in other places. If the Deputy wants a statement on that policy he can have it at any time.
I appreciate the difficulty of giving confidential information on a confidential statement. We know, and everybody in Europe knows, what the attitude of the British and French and Danish Governments was on this issue. We know of the divergency of views between them as to whether or not the Berlin issue should lead at this point to a hold-up in moving towards a Security Conference. We are entitled to know the Government's policy.
If the Deputy asks me what I think of the situation I will tell him, but I will not tell him what went on at a confidential meeting.
All right. I shall accept that.
What I think about the Security Conference—if the Deputy looks up the record he will find that he got an answer to this before—is that it should be properly prepared. There should be no prerequisites which would make it impossible to hold the meeting. There should be every chance of success because failure would be worse than not having tried. As far as Ireland is concerned, we could not accept existing national boundaries. The Deputy should remember all this. In relation to the progress to be made I felt, and I feel now, that there should be much more progress in the bilateral arrangements being made in Europe by Western Germany. They have already made agreements, political agreements, with Poland and with the USSR. I feel that there should be much more progress in intra-German affairs and in a settlement of problems in Berlin before one could assume that a Security Conference would have any measure of success.
The Minister appreciates that——
Question No. 25. We seem to be entering on a debate on this question.
May I ask whether, in fact, we share the view of the Danish Government that we should be moving ahead at this stage and that the Berlin issue is not such a block, or do we go along with the view expressed by the WEU countries that the Berlin issue at the moment is a block and that we should go slow on a detente? It is just that basic issue.
My policy has no relation to any other country or any other bloc.
What is the policy on that issue?
The Deputy would like me to say that I agree with so-and-so. I agree with myself. What I have said now is what I said ages ago to him and this is Ireland's policy and it was there before many of the people who made statements recently on it.
What is our view on Berlin as a bloc?
Was I not quite clear five minutes ago?
No, the Minister never mentioned Berlin.
I did mention Berlin. If the Deputy looks at the record——
Question No. 25. We cannot discuss this question all evening.
I think the Deputy is suffering from a closing off. He makes up his mind that there is something he wants to make me say and if I do not say it he is not satisfied with the answer.