§ Mr. Arthur Greenwood(by Private Notice) asked the Prime Minister whether he can make a statement regarding the Government's intention to facilitate the evacuation of non-combatants from the Basque Provinces?
§ The Prime MinisterAs I made clear in answers to a Private Notice Question asked by the right hon. Gentleman yesterday, His Majesty's Government will be prepared to continue protection by British warships to ships carrying Basque women and children to France, provided that the conditions are similar to those in which such protection was given at Bilbao, and if the French Government are willing to receive them. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is already in communication with the French Government on this point I would, however, point out that the circumstances with regard to the 1028 evacuation from Santander are in one respect widely different from those obtaining at Bilbao. Hitherto, the protection of His Majesty's ships was made dependent on two conditions. The Basque Government was asked to give an assurance that the evacuation should be impartial, and that His Majesty's Consul at Bilbao should be kept in close touch with the arrangements, in order to ensure that this assurance was in fact carried out. These assurances the Basque Government gave. In the case of Santander, those two conditions are not fulfilled. There is no British Consul to supervise the evacuation, and the Santander authorities, who are independent of the Basque Government, have as yet given no assurances as to impartiality. His Majesty's Government are, therefore, considering the possibility of other measures with a view to supervising the character of the evacuation. In addition, they are communicating with the French Government, with a view to arranging a system of joint control at the ports of arrival in France. In the meantime, instructions are being sent to the naval authorities on the north coast of Spain to continue protection of refugee ships, British and other, proceeding to France.
The right hon. Gentleman the Member for Carnarvon Boroughs (Mr. Lloyd George) and my Noble Friend the Member for Kinross (Duchess of Atholl) yesterday raised the question of a possible evacuation of Basque women and children through France to Barcelona and Valencia. His Majesty's Government have communicated with the French Government with a view to obtaining their views on this proposal. If the reply of the French Government is favourable, and if the refugees themselves wish to go, His Majesty's Government will be prepared to give the protection of His Majesty's Navy for the purposes of such a scheme.
§ Mr. Attlee(by Private Notice) asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can make any statement with regard to the present position of the Non-Intervention Agreement?
§ The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Eden)The House will have seen from the communique issued at the close of yesterday's meeting of the Non-Intervention Committee that Lord Plymouth, on the instructions of His 1029 Majesty's Government, made a statement on the subject of the present position of the Non-Intervention Agreement. He pointed out that His Majesty's Government were most dissatisfied with the present state of affairs, which, in their view, could not be allowed to continue if the existence of the Non-Intervention Committee were to be justified.
In the view of His Majesty's Government. the principal cause of the present unsatisfactory state of affairs is the presence of non-Spanish nationals in Spain. As the House is aware, the Committee have before them a report which provides a plan for the withdrawal of these foreigners. But inevitably some time must elapse before such a plan can be put into effect. His Majesty's Government have, therefore, offered to place their services at the disposal of the Committee in order to facilitate and to hasten the first withdrawals of foreign combatants, which they desire should take place without further delay. I am not able at present to give further details of these proposals, which are under consideration by the Governments parties to the Agreement. I can, however, explain that the intention of His Majesty's Government in putting them forward is that it should not be necessary to wait for the complete plan to be put into effect before making a start with the withdrawal of foreigners from Spain.
So far as the Four-Power discussions are concerned, two meetings were held in the course of yesterday afternoon and evening to consider the question of the incidents in which the German cruiser "Leipzig" was involved on r5th and r8th June. No definite agreement was reached. A further meeting is being held this afternoon.
§ Mr. AttleeIn view of the rumours that have appeared in the Press, may I ask the Foreign Secretary whether he can state that His Majesty's Government have no intention whatever of joining in joint naval demonstrations with the Germans?
§ Mr. EdenYes, Sir; I am obliged to the right hon. Gentleman for calling my attention to that matter. I can say definitely that His Majesty's Government have no intention of joining in naval demonstrations off Valencia.
§ Mr. AttleeIs it not quite clear now that the Non-Intervention Agreement has 1030 broken down, that there is aggression in Spain, and that the matter should now be remitted to the League of Nations?
§ Mr. EdenIt is perfectly clear that the agreement is not working as we should wish it to work, but the right hon. Gentleman knows as well as I do that this is an agreement to which every nation in Europe has put its name, and, consequently, we have gravely to consider the position which confronts us.
§ Mr. BellengerDoes the right hon. Gentleman, from his knowledge of the negotiations with regard to the plan for evacuating foreigners from Spain, think that there is any possibility of Italy and Germany agreeing to such a plan at an early date?
§ Mr. BellengerOr Russia?