ISRAEL: FOREIGN SECRETARY'S VISIT (Hansard, 22 September 1971)

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

TIIE MINISTER OF STATE, SCOT-TISH OFFICE (BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIE)
My Lords, as my right honourable friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary stated in another 2 place on March 22, he has in principle accepted an invitation from the Government of Israel to visit Israel, at a date to be agreed.

LORD JANNER
My Lords, will the noble Baroness see to it that the date is fixed fairly soon? Further, will she ask her right honourable friend whether he will pay an official visit to the Golan Heights, Sharim El Sheik, the West Bank and other places, to see for himself how essential it is for Israel to be in a position to protect herself, in the event of an attack being launched against her, without having to rely upon help from other sources, which was so miserably denied on the last occasion?

§ BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIE
My Lords, I am sure that my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary is well aware of the problems to which the noble Lord has drawn the attention of the House; but, so far as the details of the visit are concerned, I would ask him to await an announcement which my right honourable friend hopes to make when all the details are settled.

§ BARONESS GAITSKELL
My Lords, would it not be true to say that all the Foreign Secretary has got from his one-sided visit to the Middle East—which is, after all, a very sensitive area of the world—is that he was taken for a ride by the Egyptians, albeit on a camel, and that all he appears to have got is the hump?

§ BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIE
My Lords, may I say to the noble Baroness that in no way did 3 my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary have a one-sided visit. As I said earler, he is about to accept an invitation from the Israeli Government to visit them. So far as the camel is concerned, having ridden camels myself I can only conclude that the Foreign Secretary felt it was all in a good cause.

§ LORD GLADWYN
My Lords, is it not a fact that the Egyptians never ride camels?

BARONESS TWEEDMUIR OF BELHELVIE
My Lords, I was under the impression that they rode dromedaries.

LORD JANNER
My Lords, this is an extremely important matter, and in view of the statements which have been made by the Foreign Secretary would the noble Baroness be good enough to point out to him that a matter of this description has to be settled by the two parties themselves coming together, and that before he gives any further opinions he should see to it that he knows exactly what the position is so far as security is concerned.

§ BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIE
My Lords, my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary said nothing new in Cairo which he had not already said elsewhere, notably in a speech in Harrogate last year. While there are great difficulties on either side he still bases the solution upon the resolution which was unanimously adopted by all members of the Security Council at the time.

§ BARONESS STOCKS
My Lords, as the Foreign Secretary, in an earlier speech, has already committed himself to a policy of total withdrawals to the pre-war frontiers of Israel, what is, in his view and in the view of the Government, negotiable?

§ BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIE
My Lords, in the speech which he gave recently in Egypt my right honourable friend also supported again the suggestion which was made for an interim settlement whereby the opening of the Suez Canal could take place in return for a partial withdrawal by the Israeli forces from Sinai, which would of course be the first step towards the parties themselves agreeing to a final settlement.

§ LORD CAMOYS
My Lords, I wonder whether the noble Baroness could assure the House that no agreement was reached with Egypt without the knowledge of this House and that no private or (shall we say?) secret arrangements were made?

§ BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIE
My Lords, that assurance I can certainly give, because the speech was largely quoted in the Press, and I do not think anything new was said there over and above what was said a year ago.

LORD JANNER
My Lords, may I ask the noble Baroness one further question? The question that has just been asked shows that the noble Lord has put his finger on a delicate spot. Will the Government see to it that the two nations, as has hitherto been the custom in matters of settlement between other nations, come together before deciding upon what kind of result they want?

§ BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIE
My Lords, it is perfectly clear that my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary has always said that a lasting settlement must be based on an agreement between the two parties; but, on the other hand, my noble friend will recall the Security Council's resolution of 1967.