§ 87 and 88. Captain Duncanasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) what steps he has taken to warn the United Nations of the build-up of Soviet arms in Syria under Articles 1 and 2 (4) of the United Nations' Charter;
(2) whether he will ask the United Nations to send observers into Syria to ascertain the extent of the build-up of foreign arms in that country.
§ Mr. Dodds-ParkerWhile the supply of arms by the Soviet Union to Syria, in the large quantities which reports have suggested, would scarcely be likely to contribute to peace and security in the area, it could not in itself be described as an act of aggression or a breach of, or threat to, the peace under Article 1 of the United Nations Charter, nor as a threat or use of force, under Article 2 (4). Her Majesty's Government have taken no steps to draw the attention of the United Nations to such reports of Soviet arms deliveries to Syria. In the circumstances it would be inappropriate to suggest that the United Nations should send observers into that country to discover to what extent these reports are true.