HC Deb 02 July 1952 vol 503 c416
22. Mr. Renton

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement about the conference recently held in London of Her Majesty's ambassadors and ministers in Middle Eastern countries.

Mr. Nutting

I will, with permission, arrange for the text of the Press communiqu£ of 24th June, together with a list of those who attended the Conference, to be circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

I would only add that my right hon. Friend regards these periodic meetings as of considerable value, not only because of the opportunity which they afford for reviewing and discussing at first-hand all developments affecting the policy of Her Majesty's Government, but also because they serve to demonstrate the importance which Her Majesty's Government continue to attach to the security, prosperity and independence of the Middle East.

Mr. Renton

Is my hon. Friend aware that this meeting provides encouraging evidence of the patience and skill with which the Foreign Secretary is improving our relations with the Middle East, as compared with a year ago?

Following is the communiqué: The Conference of Her Majesty's Representatives in the Middle East closes this afternoon. It has given the Foreign Secretary the opportunity of exchanging views and information with the Heads of Mission attending, and the discussions have covered the whole field of problems affecting British policy in the Middle East. It has also been possible to give the Heads of Mission an up-to-date picture of Britain's overall position. The present Conference, which is the third of its series, was summoned in accordance with what is now an established practice. It was not intended that the Conference should take any major policy decisions, and it has not done so. At the closing session this afternoon, the Foreign Secretary is arranging for Mr. Acheson, who has just arrived in London, to meet the British Representatives attending the Conference. The following is a list of those attending the Conference:—
Her Majesty's Representatives at
Cairo. Damascus.
Bagdad. Jedda.
Ankara. Amman.
Tel Aviv. Tehran.
Beirut.
The Political Resident in the Persian Gulf. The Head of the British Middle East Office. Sir Robert Howe, Governor-General of the Sudan, being on leave in the United Kingdom, attended some of the meetings as an observer. Sir Henry Knight (British representative on the Advisory Commission of the U.N.R.W.A.) also attended certain meetings. Other Government Departments and the Chiefs-of-Staff were represented at appropriate meetings.