HC Deb 14 December 1953 vol 522 cc18-9
25. Mr. Warbey

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will call the attention of the countries signatory to the Italian Peace Treaty to the failure of the Italian Government to carry out the provisions of Annexe 4 of the Treaty, relating to South Tyrol, especially in regard to the safeguarding of the ethnical character of the German-speaking population and the assurance of an appropriate proportion of employment in public offices between the two ethnical groups

27. Sir D. Savory

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will consult the other signatories with a view to taking action to prevent the continued violation by the Italian Government of Annex IV of the Treaty of Peace of 10th February, 1947, relating to South Tyrol, especially as regards the parification of the German and Italian languages and the proportion of employment between the two ethnical groups

Mr. Dodds-Parker

No, Sir. I have no reason to believe that the Italian Government are not carrying out their obligations.

Mr. Warbey

Will the hon. Gentleman look into this matter again, because the number of public employees of Italian nationality is still out of all proportion to the relative size of the population, the Italian Government are still encouraging emigration into the South Tyrol and pursuing the policy of Italianisation which was supported by Mussolini, and the whole policy of autonomy for South Tyrol is being turned into a mockery?

Mr. Dodds-Parker

As the hon. Gentleman will be aware, Annexe 4 of the Italian Peace Treaty is an agreement of September 5th, 1946, between the Austrian and Italian Governments and if there was any cause of complaint of non-implementation of that agreement it would be for those Governments to raise the matter in the first instance. No such complaint has been raised.

Sir D. Savory

Has my hon. Friend's attention been called to the statement made in Rome by Signor Pella so late as last Thursday, when he again put forward the demand that there should be a plebiscite for Trieste? Will he not ask Signor Pella whether a plebiscite cannot also be held for the South Tyrol, where, I am sure, there would be a 95 per cent. majority of genuine Tyrolese for the union of South Tyrol and North Tyrol, and the deplorable mistake made in1919 would at last be rectified?

Mr. Dodds-Parker

That is another question.