THE GERMAN Chancellor, Dr Helmut Kohl, dutifully ate British beef with the Prime Minister, Mr John Major, yesterday, but declined an invitation to tell the rest of the world that it was safe.
Dr Kohl was speaking at a news conference with Mr Major after a one day summit that was overshadowed by British anger at the refusal of Germany and the rest of the EU to lift the ban on British beef imposed due to fears of mad cow disease.
"Just like my friend John Major I did indeed have beef for lunch and I ate it. I think that was the underlying purpose of this press conference", Dr Kohl said with a smile.
The Chancellor said he hoped EU farm ministers would not end their meeting that began yesterday in Luxembourg until they had fixed a date for a final decision on British measures aimed at getting the ban lifted.
But when pressed by a reporter to give British beef a clean bill of health, Dr Kohl demurred.
"I have eaten British beef but I am not a marketing manager for British beef", said Dr Kohl, who lunched on smoked Scottish salmon and medallions of Aberdeen Angus beef.
The EU slapped the global ban on British beef exports on March 27th because of evidence of a new human strain of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease.
Standing alongside Dr Kohl, Mr Major said he wanted the Luxembourg meeting to send a positive signal of support for Britain by lifting a ban on gelatine and tallow - both beef products.
The two leaders stressed that bilateral relations were in excellent shape and tried to play down deep differences on the crucial issue of the future shape of the EU, with Britain opposed to Germany's vision of ever closer integration.
Dr Kohl referred repeatedly to his goal of constructing a "European House" by the end of the century and said he could not imagine Britain not having a permanent place in it.
Mr Major said Britain wanted to see Europe evolve but there were clear disagreements over the speed and style of its development. While Germany eagerly supported a single currency, Britain had reserved its position, he said.