§ Mr. Donnelly (by Private Notice) asked the Prime Minister whether he has any statement to make on the Korean truce talks and Mr. Chou En-lai's reported speech.
§ The Prime MinisterI take this opportunity to inform the House of the latest developments in regard to Korea.
Early in February, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary suggested to the United States Government the possibility of an appeal to the other side to agree to the immediate repatriation of seriously sick and wounded prisoners. He also put this idea to Commonwealth Governments. The House will recall that on 23rd February my right hon. Friend announced the dispatch, on the previous day, of a letter from the United Nations Commander-in-Chief to the opposing commanders proposing the immediate repatriation of seriously sick and wounded.
On 28th March the Chinese and North Korean commanders agreed to General Mark Clark's proposal. They stated that in their view a settlement of this question, to quote their words—important words—
should be made to lead to the smooth settlement of the entire question of prisoners of war, thereby achieving an armistice in Korea.Three days later, General Clark proposed that liaison groups should meet at Panmunjom as soon as possible to make detailed arrangements for the exchange of sick and wounded prisoners. He, too, expressed the hope that this exchange would make more likely the smooth settlement of the entire prisoners-of-war question and declared himself ready to instruct his liaison group, as a second order of business, to arrange for the resumption of the armistice negotiations by the main delegations.The House will recall that when the armistice negotiations were suspended on 8th October, General Harrison, the United Nations Command delegate, announced that the United Nations would be ready to resume discussions at any time when the other side were prepared to accept one of the outstanding United Nations proposals or to put forward a constructive counter proposal of their own. This situation now appears to have 1219 arisen. On 30th March, Mr. Chou En-lai, the Chinese Prime Minister, suggested in a broadcast—I quote his words:
that both parties to the negotiations should undertake to repatriate immediately after the cessation of hostilities all those prisoners of war in their custody who insist upon repatriation and to hand over the remaining prisoners of war to a neutral State so as to ensure a just solution to the question of their repatriation.This statement, so far as we can judge, does not run counter to the principles on which we have taken our stand on the prisoners-of-war question. Thus it seems to provide a basis on which the armistice negotiations can be usefully resumed.As these issues affect us all and rise, I trust, far above party difference, I venture to think that the wisdom and foresight with which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs has sought to influence these events will commend itself to the House. On 11th November, he addressed the General Assembly and stated the principles on which our stand was based. In brief, these were that force should not be used to prevent or affect the return of prisoners. It has always been his view, fortified by the House on both sides, that the issue should and could be settled on these lines, which were afterwards embodied in the Indian plan and found acceptable by a large majority of the United Nations. The formula now suggested by the Chinese Prime Minister appears not inconsistent with these principles.
These developments, if not spoiled, certainly constitute a considerable event. They seem to offer a new hope for a solution of the prisoner-of-war difficulty and for a cessation of the fighting in Korea for which we—this Government and the late one—and our allies have striven so earnestly and so long. Many difficulties still remain to be resolved. We shall continue to try to overcome them with the same patience and caution and with the same insistence on basic principles by which we have throughout been guided.
§ Mr. DonnellyIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that subject to proper and honourable safeguards there is a heartfelt longing throughout the whole of the British nation to see a termination of the 1220 Korean war? Will the right hon. Gentleman answer two questions, briefly? First, can he say whether he has any further information, through any channels he may have been able to use, as to which might be the neutral State referred to in Chou En-lai's broadcast? Secondly, can he say what positive steps Her Majesty's Government, in conjunction with the other Governments concerned in this matter, are taking to take advantage of this appearance of an offer so that we may get more information as quickly as possible?
§ The Prime MinisterI think it would be a mistake for us to try to define with particularisation the neutral State which might be found agreeable to all parties.
§ Mr. H. MorrisonThe House will, I am sure, have heard with pleasure the statement made by the Prime Minister, and as one who, following Mr. Malik's statement in New York, initiated the armistice talks in association with our American colleagues, I am certainly very pleased that those discussions are now to be resumed. We would like the right hon. Gentleman to understand that we are most anxious that these talks shall be successful. We hope they come to a successful end and will conclude by the firm establishment of peace, not only in Korea, but throughout the Far East. On behalf of the Opposition, and, indeed, of everybody, I wish the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary, and our friends involved in these discussions, every success in this important matter.
§ The Prime MinisterI am much obliged to the right hon. Gentleman for his valuable and important remarks.
§ Mr. S. SilvermanHas the Prime Minister been made aware of the rather touching gesture made by a great many poor Chinese peasants, themselves accustomed to the tragedies and the miseries of floods, in collecting some £15,000 which they presented yesterday to the Lord Mayor of London as their contribution to our Flood Relief Fund? I wonder whether the right hon. Gentleman can say whether he will acknowledge this rather generous gift in the same way as he acknowledged a similar gift from the Soviet Union.
§ The Prime MinisterI have not heard about this before. I will look into it, and I certainly would express the same sentiments if an opportunity presented itself. I had the opportunity of speaking to Mr. Gromyko on the Russian gift. We have a representative in Peking, but no corresponding official has been provided here.