§ 3. Mr. A. Hendersonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement on the Four-Power Conference on air safety which has been taking place in Berlin.
§ Mr. TurtonThe last quadripartite meeting was held on 23rd November last year. No date for a further meeting has been suggested.
§ Mr. HendersonSurely this is extremely unsatisfactory? Did not the conference arise out of the shooting down of an R.A.F. Lincoln bomber with some 838 loss of life? That took place 18 months ago. What are the Government proposing to do in view of the impasse at the conference?
§ Mr. TurtonThe right hon. and learned Gentleman will realise that it takes four to make a quadripartite meeting. The talks have not been broken off, but the attitude of the Soviet representative at the last meeting gave the allies little encouragement.
§ Mr. HendersonHave the Soviet authorities given an assurance that they will not repeat this action by shooting down any plane, British or other nationality, which may stray across the East German frontier?
§ Mr. TurtonI think it would be wiser if the right hon. and learned Gentleman put that question on the Order Paper.