Francis Pym, Britain’s new Foreign Secretary, is almost an unknown quantity in foreign affairs. A middle of the road conservative, 61-year-old Pym has been described as a man who plays his cards so close to his chest that he holds them inside his vest.
Aport from a spell as shadow Foreign Secretary and his period as Defense Secretary earlier in the present government, his career since becoming a member of Parliament 21 years ago has revolved mainly around domestic and parliamentary affairs.
Nevertheless, he could differ sharply from his predecessor if only because his first task will be to extricate Britain from the mess for which Carrington has acknowledged responsibility.
Initially, therefore, Pym will have to look after Britain’s immediate interests rather than seek to play the role of global statesmen to which Carrington, aspired. He could also try to sort out some of the traditional attitudes inside the Foreign Office, including those on the Middle East with which Carrington was closely associated.
LESS IDENTIFIED WITH PRO-ARAB SLANT
Pym has been a passive member of the Conservative Friends of Israel parliamentary group and may therefore be less identified with the Foreign Office’s pro-Arab slant. However, it should be stressed that the two other junior ministers who resigned together with Carrington do not include Douglas Hurd, Minister of State in charge of Middle East affairs.
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