时间：2003年4月30日下午
地点：英国议会下院
时段：Prime Minister’s Questions
事件：托尼·布莱尔PK邓肯·史密斯
Mr. Iain Duncan Smith (Chingford and Woodford Green): On the issue of European defence, the Prime Minister said to the House that
" it would be a tragic mistake . . . if Britain opted out of the debate on European defence and left the field to others."—[Official Report, 13 December 1999; Vol. 341, c. 22.]
Yesterday, France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg met to discuss European defence. Why was not Britain involved?
The Prime Minister: For a very simple reason: four countries were involved yesterday and 11 were not. We are part of the 11.
Hon. Members: More, more.
Mr. Speaker: Order.
Mr. Duncan Smith: The reality of not being involved with the others, as the Prime Minister rightly says, is the fact that he started this whole process at St. Malo years ago. He now has seen and will witness the fact that he has become a spectator while others shape the Euro army to break NATO, so he has no one to blame but himself. It is clear from yesterday that the Germans want a separate budget, that the Belgians want a separate headquarters—[Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker: Order.
Mr. Duncan Smith: The French want nothing to do with the Americans at all, so if that is the case, does the Prime Minister not agree that he started this and that it was his big idea? He kick-started it and now they are driving off without him.
The Prime Minister: No. The very reason why the meeting was held yesterday is that those countries were not satisfied with our initiative, which tied European defence to NATO.
That is precisely why they felt the need to do what they did yesterday. That is why it was not a good idea for us to be there. [Interruption.] Actually, the right hon. Gentleman agrees with me that we should not have been there. [Interruption.]
Yes. So we are in agreement, and that is a very good thing. [Laughter.] I have been a bit short of that recently.
