HC Deb 11 May 1959 vol 605 cc836-9
12. Mr. Roy Jenkins

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what negotiations for further arms shipments to Iraq are at present proceeding.

19. Mr. Healey

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what reply he has made to the recent request of the Iraq Government for a further shipment of arms.

30. Sir C. Mott-Radclyffe

asked the Secretary of State far Foreign Affairs what recent requests he has received from the Government of Iraq for the supply of arms; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Profumo

As the House knows, Iraq has traditionally looked to Great Britain to supply her with arms. As I informed the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr. Swingler) on 2nd March, several requests for the purchase of military equipment have been received from the Iraqi Government since the revolution, and some of these, including orders dating from before the revolution, have already been met. Early this year, General Qasim asked Her Majesty's Ambassador in Bagdad whether her Majesty's Government would be wilding to authorise further sales, including certain aircraft and tanks. In making this request, General Qasim explicitly stated that he wished Britain to remain one of the main sources of supply for the Iraqi forces.

Her Majesty's Government have agreed to issue the necessary export licences to the English Electric Company for the supply of a limited number of aircraft if financial arrangements can be made with he company. Her Majesty's Government have also informed the Iraqi Government that they are ready to authorise negotiations for the delivery of reasonable quantities of other arms, including tanks. Details are now under discussion between Her Majesty's Embassy in Bagdad and the Iraqi authorities.

Mr. Jenkins

What possible advantage can there be in such a policy? Are the Government still so bitter about the events of two and a half years ago that they would prefer to see Iraq become more Communist than become more Nasserite? What argument is there for engaging at present in a policy which can only be regarded as extremely unfriendly towards Egypt and the United Arab Republic?

Mr. Profumo

I do not think that forcing General Qasim to rely solely on the Soviet bloc for arms would contribute to stability in the Middle East, which is our sole aim.

Dame Florence Horsbrugh

As this is bound to affect the neighbours of Iraq, may I ask whether this matter was discussed with the Shah of Persia when he was here and what was his opinion?

Mr. Ellis Smith

The right hon. Lady can rely on that all right.

Mr. Profumo

Yes, it was discussed and he and his advisers approved.

Mr. Bevan

Is it not extremely ironical that we should now be reduced to supplying arms to Iraq following the revolution when it was stated from the Government side of the House at the time that one of the reasons why we went into Jordan was because of the anxieties raised by the very Government to which we now supply the arms? Was it not said by Mr. Khrushchev that he invited Sir Anthony Eden to have a general embargo on the supply of arms to all nations in the Middle East? Has the hon. Gentleman discussed that with the Russian authorities since? Surely, this is a very upsetting statement to have to make.

Mr. Profumo

I do not think that a general embargo on arms in the Middle East is practicable, and I do not think that the Russians would agree to it or that it could be enforced. The answer to this is that we should continue, within reason, our long tradition of supplying this country with arms and do our very best to allow General Qasim to maintain an independent line of action, which, he says, is what he wishes to do.

Mr. Bevan

How can the hon. Gentleman express doubts about the practicability of an embargo on arms by all the major nations to the Middle East unless he tries it? On several occasions Mr. Khrushchev has made the statement that he made this offer. Why has the offer not been followed up? If it had been followed up and the arms embargo had been imposed upon the Middle East, the Government would not have to make this embarrassing statement this afternoon.

Mr. Profumo

First of all, I really must say that the Government do not find this an embarrassing statement at all. [Interruption.]Certainly not. We do not find it embarrassing to come to the House and tell the House of something which we believe is a good decision. I will give the right hon. Gentleman something of an answer to the question he asked about why we have not done more to ask the Russians whether we can have a general embargo. One of the reasons is that the Russians themselves have been extremely busy since the revolution exporting arms to the region themselves.

Sir C. Mott-Radclyffe

Is the delivery of these arms part of an outstanding contract, or is it a fresh contract? If it is a fresh contract, could my hon. Friend give the House some idea of when the consignment of arms is likely to be delivered?

Mr. Profumo

I will refer my hon. Friend to my original Answer. Part of this, of course, is a new request from General Qasim. So far as that is concerned, the delivery of the major items cannot begin for some time.

Mr. Healey

Is the Minister aware that the Iraqi Government have been making threats of armed action against the Government of the United Arab Republic, with which we are now seeking the resumption of diplomatic relations, and that they also have had a serious diplomatic quarrel with the Government of Persia, with which we are allied. Is not the policy of Her Majesty's Government totally reprehensible and damaging to British interests and world peace?

Mr. Profumo

No, Sir; I simply do not accept the implication of the hon. Gentleman's supplementary question at all. My right hon. and learned Friend has taken steps to inform Colonel Nasser of the action we have taken.

Mr. Shinwell

Have the Government detected any change in Iraq in the last year or so? Is Iraq going Communist or is it more friendly disposed towards the West, or what is its policy likely to be? Have they taken all these calculations into consideration before exporting arms to that country? Finally, does this provision of arms to Iraq mean that we are now prepared to provide arms for any Middle East country if it asks for them, including Israel?

Mr. Profumo

I think that the last part of the right hon. Gentleman's supplementary is very much wider than the Question on the Order Paper. If he wishes to ask that question, perhaps he will put it down. All that this Question refers to is arms to Iraq. As regards the earlier part of his question, we have, of course, taken into consideration all the many ramifications which the right hon. Gentleman rightly points out to the House. Her Majesty's Government do not accept the premise that the present régime in Iraq is now completely dominated by the Communists. As to the future, we cannot tell, of course, but we regard the action we have taken as generally designed towards the maintenance of stability in the Middle East.