§ 48. Mr. A. Hendersonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement on the suspension of the activities of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission in Korea; and on the refusal of the sixteen nations to participate in another conference on the reunification of Korea.
§ Lord John HopeAs the answer is necessarily a long one, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
I am also placing in the Library the texts of the Chinese Note of 9th April, of the reply delivered by Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires in Peking on behalf of the Member Governments of the United Nations Command on 28th May and of the announcement made by the United Nations Command in the Military Armistice Commission in Korea on 31st May.
§ Mr. HendersonCould the Minister say whether it has been made clear to the Government of China that the sixteen nations would be prepared to enter into a political conference on Korea, provided that it is on the basis of the United Nations objectives, and could he tell the House what are the United Nations objectives?
§ Lord John HopeYes, Sir, those concerned were informed that we are ready to discuss the situation provided that these conditions obtain, and they are two. The first objective is that under its Charter the United Nations is fully and rightfully empowered to take collective action to repel aggression, to restore peace and security and to extend its good offices to seeking a peaceful settlement in Korea. Secondly, in order to establish a unified, independent and democratic Korea, genuinely free elections should be held under United Nations supervision, for representatives in the National Assembly, in which representation shall be in direct proportion to the indigenous population in Korea.
§ Mr. PagetIs the hon. Gentleman aware that there is general satisfaction at this demonstration that we are no longer prepared to continue to observe treaties which the other man does not observe, and can we have a similar policy in Egypt, please? 709 Following is the answer:
On 9th April the Chinese Government sent a Note through Her Majesty's Charge d'Affaires in Peking to the member nations of the United Nations Command. This note referred to proposals which the Swiss and Swedish Governments had made for the reduction of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission in Korea. The note stated that the Chinese Government held that the difficulties of the Commission could only be removed when the questions of the peaceful unification of Korea and the withdrawal of foreign forces had been solved.The note went on to propose a conference to discuss these two problems. It was considered by the Governments of the United Nations Command. In their view it showed no change in the unsatisfactory position adopted by the Chinese and North Koreans at the Geneva Conference of 1954 such as might make a further conference fruitful. The members of the United Nations Command remain ready to discuss the unification of Korea on the basis of the objectives approved by the United Nations, and are prepared to give every consideration to any concrete proposals the Chinese and North Koreans may have for a settlement of the Korean question in accordance with these objectives.The difficulties of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission have been created by the conduct of the Chinese and North Koreans themselves. They have followed a policy of systematic frustration of the Commission ever since the Armistice Agreement was signed. They have persistently introduced military personnel and supplies through other ports of entry than those provided for in the Armistice Agreement, have failed to report these reinforcements and have prevented the Commission from conducting investigations. The proposals of the Swiss and Swedish Governments for reduction of the Commission were made necessary by Chinese and North Korean policy.In the light of these facts the Governments of the United Nations Command believe that no evidence has been shown of the good faith which alone would enable any new conference to serve a useful purpose. They consider that until the Chinese and North Korean Governments are prepared to negotiate on the basis of the United Nations objectives such a conference would only result in a repetition of the deadlock at Geneva in 1954.In view of Communist behaviour towards the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, the failure of the Chinese and North Korean Governments to agree to any reorganisation of the Commission and the inequitable burden consequently imposed on the United Nations Command, the Commander of the United Nations Forces in Korea was authorised to announce that those provisions of the Armistice Agreement governing the operations in South Korea of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission would be provisionally suspended during the time that the Communist side continued in default. The Governments of the United Nations Command continue to 710 regard the other provisions of the Armistice Agreement as being in force and will continue to maintain their effectiveness.