John Humphrys, BBC
And we are now going to speak to the Prime Minister live on the AM programme. The Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, is cutting short his visit to America and flying home early because of a devastating earthquake in America which has killed thousands of people. The decision means Mr Gorbachev will cancel a scheduled visit he was due to make to Cuba and it seems [end p1] likely he will also postpone his visit to Britain next week, but while in New York he made a significant speech to the UN about cuts in Soviet conventional forces. We now speak to the Prime Minister.
Good morning.
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Good morning.
John Humphrys, BBC
How important do you rate the speech by Mr Gorbachev?
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Oh, I think it was an enormously important speech. I've not yet been able to read it in full detail, but we have the broad points and I think it is a very positive contribution to world affairs.
John Humphrys, BBC
What do you rate Prime Minister as the most important parts of it? I know you haven't had [end p2] a chance to read it in full but you obviously have seen it in headline form?
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
(fade in) … I think obviously are his proposals for a reduction in conventional forces. Both the proposals and the fact that Mikhail Gorbachevhe made them, it indicates that he is wanting, I think, to reduce the total amount spent on armaments. They have an enormous superiority in conventional forces, it's about three to one at present, and we did a quick calculation and from what we know up to date, believe it will take that down to two to one, but there is still of course a superiority.
John Humphrys, BBC
Do you think that after his speech Mr Gorbachev is looking for any positive response from the West?
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
I think, no, not immediately in that way, because the actual negotiations are not really done from speech to speech, they're done at the [end p3] table, at the negotiating table in Geneva. He knows that NATO was working on an agreed defence strategy, and against that background we were going to put forward our own proposals on conventional disarmament, or reductions in armament, so he's very much aware of that and he'll expect that to be coming out. But it is one of the things we were asking for because of their enormous superiority in that field.
John Humphrys, BBC
There is still a feeling, is there not, in the West that whatever Mr Gorbachev says we should not really trust him. Is that a view that you hold?
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
No, I don't think that's a view that I hold. We obviously look at the facts on the ground all the time and we must because once you make a false decision on defence it would take you years to catch up and as you know we are very, very firm that we never let down our guard. But what I thought you were going to ask me about was the earthquake that we heard [end p4] reported. I heard it on the news and heard that Mr Gorbachev naturally wanted to go home. Home is where you should be in a terrible tragedy like that; it would be unthinkable that he should do anything else, and I wanted to say that we perfectly understand. When these things happen in world affairs, we're all human flesh and blood, and every world politician understands that in these circumstances other plans must be postponed until later.
John Humphrys, BBC
Will Britain be offering any aid to Armenia, Mrs Thatcher?
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Any help that we can give, of course we shall give.
John Humphrys, BBC
Now, you must be very disappointed, I know you understand fully the reasons for Mr Gorbachev going back to Russia, but you must be very disappointed that he has to postpone his visit. [end p5]
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Everyone is disappointed, but everyone understands that with such a thing on his mind he couldn't possibly undertake talks and everyone understands that you have to go home and want to go home and must be with your own people. Out of these terrible tragedies sometimes people can work together in a way that they wouldn't otherwise so let's hope that happens in this case.
John Humphrys, BBC
Would it have been a ceremonial visit, generally speaking, or a business trip that he would have made?
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Of course, there would have been some ceremony to welcome such a distinguished world visitor, but its main purpose was really so that we could have extended talks and then so that Mr and Mrs Gorbachev could also carry out one or two other visits and meet other people, and of course he was to be received by Her Majesty the Queen. [end p6]
John Humphrys, BBC
Prime Minister, thank you for talking to the AM programme this morning.
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
I'm sorry it was such a sad occasion.
John Humphrys, BBC
Yes indeed.
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Thank you. Good bye.
John Humphrys, BBC
Thank you.