Speech lands Prince in Gatt row

PARIS (AFP) - The Prince of Wales came under attack from Conservative and Labour MPs last night after he appeared to give public backing to the cause of French farmers and France's opposition to the Gatt trade deal.

Prince Charles, speaking in French on his honorary induction into the Academy of Political and Moral Sciences, praised France's rural heritage - widely held to be uneconomic: 'Because of the imperatives of trade . . . do we really need to compress the traditions and vitality of rural life and culture into the straightjacket of an industry like any other?

'One of the joys for me of being in France is that you have a particularly strong sense of those traditions . . . .

'France sets the rest of us an inspiring example . . . by giving due importance to the kind of rural traditions without which it would be impossible to enjoy a way of life that recognises, both in the countryside and in the town, the importance of elements in our lives which enrich and enoble us, but which are not 'cost-effective' in strictly economic terms.'

The Prince said he had a hard time deciding on the theme of his speech, and had been given the following advice: 'Above all, don't mention the Gatt talks, neither the Community budget, nor the Maastricht treaty.'

Harry Cohen, Labour MP for Leyton, said: 'Supporting uneconomic farmers risks inflaming the row over the Gatt deal to bursting point and encouraging the French farmers in their opposition to the deal. It was an unwise thing to say and it was not in Britain's interest to say it.'

Dr Robert Spink, Tory MP for Castle Point, said: 'The Prince should be defending the people of this country who have to pay pounds 16 a week per family extra on average to support the French farmers and their food mountains.'

Buckingham Palace described the criticism as 'pure interpretation' and said the critics had 'got it wrong'.