HC Deb 31 January 1955 vol 536 cc681-2
30. Mr. Ernest Davies

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what were the reasons for supporting Spain's admission to the United Nations as a permanent observer.

Mr. Nutting

Spain has not been admitted to the United Nations as a permanent observer. There is no such status. The question does not therefore arise.

31. Mr. Ernest Davies

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the status recently given to Spain in relation to the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation; and for what reasons.

Mr. Nutting

Spain is to participate fully in the work of the Ministerial Committee for Agriculture and Food, and its subordinate bodies, and is to send an observer to meetings of the Council and of certain specific Technical Committees whenever they deal with questions which might affect agriculture or food. Acceptance of these arrangements was one of the conditions on which the European Conference on the Organisation of Agricultural Markets insisted before they would agree that their work should be transferred to the Organisation for European Economic Co-operations.

Mr. Davies

Does the Minister consider that increasing the prestige of Spain and improving her status at the present time is desirable in view of the policy being pursued by the Spanish Government, particularly in relation to this country? Can the right hon. Gentleman give an undertaking that this is not the first step towards bringing Spain into the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation?

Mr. Nutting

This is a Question about O.E.E.C., which has nothing to do with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. So far as the first part of the hon. Gentleman's supplementary is concerned, I believe that the more co-operation we can get on economic matters—on agriculture and food production—in Europe, the better.

Captain Duncan

Is my right hon. Friend aware that Spain is part of Europe, and that the more we can bring her into the organisation of Europe the better?

Mr. Davies

Will the right hon. Gentleman also seek more co-operation with Spain in regard to Gibraltar and the question of human rights, in which there is no co-operation at the present time?

Mr. Nutting

I think that Her Majesty's Government's views on both those matters are sufficiently well known to the Spanish Government.