§ 19. Mr. Ronald Chamberlainasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether it is the view of His Majesty's Government that all European countries should be invited to participate in the Council of Europe; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BevinWhile the decisions taken by the Consultative Council are being further considered by the Permanent Commission, it would not be appropriate for me to add anything to the communiqué issued at the conclusion of the Council's recent meeting.
§ Mr. ChamberlainWhilst appreciating what the Foreign Secretary says, may I ask him if he will bear in mind that there are still very great psychological and moral values in initiative of this kind even though it is not accepted, and also that the Council is to be called the Council of Europe and not of Western Europe.
§ Mr. BevinWe had all that in mind, but we must let the Permanent Commission work out the details and wait until the scheme is adopted or otherwise.
§ Mr. ChamberlainWill my right hon. Friend keep an open mind on the question?
§ Mr. R. A. ButlerWithout wishing to enter into the latter part of the right hon. Gentleman's observation, I should like to ask him how long this consideration is likely to take?
§ Mr. BevinWe are hoping to get the whole thing cleared up as early as possible and certainly not later than the next meeting of the Consultative Council.