THE BRITISH Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin Cook, said yesterday it would be possible for the government to reach agreement with its European partners at the Amsterdam summit next month provided that British "national interests" have been served.
As the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, and the Dutch Prime Minister, Mr Wim Kok, completed a two-hour lunchtime meeting at Downing Street yesterday, Mr Cook said Britain "now negotiates from strength in Westminster and with respect in Europe". However, he sounded a note of caution when he predicted that the government had no intention of making any concessions at Amsterdam.
Striking an optimistic note, Mr Cook said the government was confident of securing the retention of border controls when the issue comes up for discussion at Amsterdam, and he made it clear that Britain would not surrender its veto on defence, security, justice and home affairs.
Mr Kok appeared to accept Britain's refusal to move on the issue of border controls in return for greater co-operation on the Social Chapter, the Employment Chapter, and tackling fraud within the European Union. He welcomed Britain's decision to sign up to the Social Chapter as an enormous step forward" but he admitted it would be an "exaggeration" to say it was easy to find solutions to all the problems facing the European leaders when they arrive in Amsterdam.
Mr Blair is set to meet President Clinton for talks later this month either on May 27th or May 29th. The White House confirmed the meeting yesterday and the talks will be scheduled around Mr Clinton's attendance at the US/European Summit at The Hague on May 28th.
Meanwhile, announcing the replacement of the twice-weekly Prime Minister's Questions, with a half-hour "trust-building" session on Wednesday afternoons, the leader of the House of Commons, Ms Ann Taylor, said the reform would allow the Prime Minister to be questioned at greater depth.
Rejecting criticism that ending the practice of open questions would reduce spontaneity, the President of the Board of Trade, Ms Margaret Beckett, said the reforms removed "time-wasting" from Prime Minister's Questions.
Despite his "concern" over the reforms, the former prime minister, Mr John Major, conceded that while he was in government Prime Minister's Questions was "a burden".
Mr Major pointed out that although it was "sensible" to consider improvements, it would be a "mistake" to impose reforms until a parliamentary select committee report on procedures is published.
Earlier, the Tory leadership challenger and committed Euro-sceptic, Mr John Redwood, urged fellow right-winger, Mr Bill Cash, not to create deeper rifts within the party by joining the leadership contest.
Speculation has grown that Mr Cash, who had accused the candidates for the leadership of not being clear enough on the single currency, would enter the contest but he has refused to confirm his intentions. Mr Redwood said: "I would say to Bill that it is sufficient for us to oppose the current plans for monetary union if Labour decide to follow that course.