§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take the initiative with NATO to debar Portugal from using NATO weapons in Angola, Mozambique and on the Zambian frontier.]
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (LORD SHEPHERD)No, my Lords. These weapons belong to individual Member States of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, whose arms policy we cannot determine. We ourselves, as the noble Lord will be aware, do not provide military equipment to Portugal for use in her overseas territories.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, in thanking my noble friend, and while I appreciate the reply which the Prime Minister made to this Question in another place on February 11, may I ask whether he is aware that six Members of Parliament have recently been to Zambia and there have seen the bombs which have been used by the Portuguese against a Zambian village? Does he know that the bombs include 37 mm.-type, 4.47 Sneb French air-to-ground-missiles and that these are explosives provided by NATO to Portugal? Will Her Majesty's Government make further investigation of this matter?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, I have no reason to believe that the bombs my noble friend has referred to are NATO equipment. As I said in my original Answer, the equipment used by NATO 1060 forces does not belong to NATO as a body but to the countries concerned. In view of the fact that my noble friend has again drawn attention to this matter, I am sure that the country responsible will be aware of the United Nations resolution on the subject.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, I thank my noble friend.