§ 8. Colonel WEDGWOODasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Dandurand proposals and memorandum on league procedure applicable to minorities' petitions will be discussed at the next meeting at Geneva; and whether His Britannic Majesty's representatives at the meeting will go with instructions to defend these proposals in their entirety?
§ 18. Mr. PONSONBYasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what decision His Majesty's Government have come to with regard to a general settlement of the minorities' question in Europe; whether he will give his support to Senator Dandurand's proposals which will come before the Council of the League of Nations next week; and whether the proposal recently made by the conference of the League of Nations Union in Brussels that the whole matter should be submitted to a specially constituted commission under the League has been brought to his attention and received his approval?
Mr. LOCKER-LAMPSONThe obligations of the League in connection with the protection of minorities will he under discussion by the Council of the League of Nations next week, and His Majesty's Government would hesitate to define their attitude before that discussion has been initiated and before 1939 they have had an opportunity of hearing the views of other members of the Council. Senator Dandurand's proposals relate solely to procedure in dealing with petitions from minorities; His Majesty's Government are giving them their careful consideration, but here again I should be reluctant to anticipate the discussion which will take place next week, and I trust that the hon. Members will be content to wait so short a time for a considered expression of the views of His Majesty's Government. The proposal of the League of Nations Union, to which the hon. Member for Brightside refers, has not been brought to my attention.
§ Colonel WEDGWOODIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that Senator Dandurand is a Canadian, that his proposals are solely as to procedure, and that they have been hotly assailed in France, and what we want to know before we take part in discussions on these recommendations on procedure is what line His Majesty's Government is going to take—whether it is going to follow the Canadian or the French line?
Mr. LOCKER-LAMPSONAs my right hon. Friend has very often said, it is very inadvisable beforehand to prejudge and anticipate discussions that are to take place at Geneva.
§ Colonel WEDGWOODThat is all very well. Are we going into this discussion with an open mind, or are we going into it having seen Senator Dandurand's proposals and having formed our own opinion on them?
Mr. LOCKER-LAMPSONI have already said we are most carefully considering Mr. Dandurand's proposals at the present moment.