HC Deb 04 December 1957 vol 579 cc349-50
1. Mr. Brockway

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how the British delegate on the special Political Committee of the United Nations Assembly voted on the resolution appealing to the Government of the Union of South Africa to revise its policy on racial segregation in the light of the principles of the United Nations Charter; and what were the votes for and against the resolution.

21. Mr. Stonehouse

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how the delegate of the United Kingdom cast his vote when the General Assembly on 26th November passed a resolution deploring that the Union of South Africa had not responded to the United Nations requests to modify its policies of racial discrimination.

42. Mr. J. Johnson

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how the British delegate voted at the recent debate of the Political Committee of the United Nations Assembly upon the racial segregation policy of the Union of South Africa.

The Joint Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Ian Harvey)

The United Kingdom representative on the Special Political Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations voted on 1st November against the resolution. The voting was 59 in favour, 5 against and 10 abstentions. The United Kingdom representative voted against the resolution in plenary also, on 26th November. The vote was 59 in favour, 6 against and 14 abstentions.

Mr. Brockway

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that a large part of our population will be ashamed—[HON. MEMBERS: "Hear, hear."]—that a British delegate should not vote against the practice of apartheid in the South African Union? Further, is the hon. Gentleman aware that even though rights of national sovereignty may go to a certain point, when they go to the point of repudiation of human liberties as now practised in South Africa it is time that our Government made their position clear?

Mr. Harvey

With regard to the first point, the hon. Gentleman is confusing the issue. The vote was not on the subject of apartheid at all, but on the question whether the United Nations should debate a subject within the competence of the Government of South Africa.

Mr. Brockway

It was on apartheid.

Mr. Harvey

With regard to the second part of the hon. Gentleman's supplementary, the position of Her Majesty's Government is perfectly clear.

Mr. J. Johnson

As I happened to be in the building in New York on that day, may I ask the hon. Gentleman whether he is aware that the speech of our delegate not merely shocked the coloured people present, but also the delegates of the white delegations present who were thoroughly scandalised by the speech, which could have come from any South African?

Mr. Harvey

The hon. Gentleman is entitled to his opinion, but it is not ours.

Mr. Younger

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that I myself have some experience of having, very reluctantly, to abstain occasionally for technical reasons from voting on issues of this kind? It seems to me to be quite a new thing actually to vote against an issue of this kind in a company, I think I am right in saying, consisting almost entirely of other colonial Powers. Is that not a very damaging thing?

Mr. Harvey

I am aware of the right hon. Gentleman's position and I am not altogether surprised that he abstained, but our view is that we should be definite in these matters, and that is what we have been.