HL Deb 27 July 1967 vol 285 c1113
LORD ROWLEY

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the second Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government to what extent the cease-fire line between Israel and her Arab neighbours is now under the supervision of United Nations Observers.]

LORD CHALFONT

My Lords, the fronts between Israel and her Arab neighbours now all appear to be under supersion by United Nations observers.

LORD ROWLEY

My Lords, may I ask my noble friend whether any report has been received from General Bull, Chief of the United Nations Observer Corps, as to whether there is any evidence of a likely clash between the forces of Israel and Egypt over the use of the Suez Canal?

LORD CHALFONT

My Lords, the reports that we have, or that are available to us, about this—the latest of them being a report circulated to the Security Council on July 24—said that General Bull had confirmed that no incidents had taken place between July 13 and that day (July 24) on the Israel-Syria sector and that in the Suez sector the situation remains generally quiet on both sides.

BARONESS SUMMERSKILL

My Lords, may I ask my noble friend whether he has seen the picture and the article in The Times this morning on the conditions obtaining on the Allenby Bridge? Can he say whether the exit of Arabs to Jordan is as great as it was a few weeks ago or whether it has slackened off?

LORD CHALFONT

Yes, my Lords, I have seen the picture and the article in The Times. So far as our own information is concerned, we believe that the flow of refugees has lessened. We understand that some people are returning to their homes; but there remains a very considerable and substantial refugee problem which we shall do all we can to help to solve.