HC Deb 04 February 1957 vol 564 cc28-9
57. Mr. E. Johnson

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on what date the attention of the Security Council was first drawn to the aggression by Yemen against the Aden Protectorate and to Egypt's offer of volunteers to assist Yemen in this aggression; and with what result.

The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Selwyn Lloyd)

On 12th and 21st January the United Kingdom representative to the United Nations circulated to all other delegations letters containing details of Yemeni aggression in the Aden Protectorate. The letters also rebutted false charges made against British forces in Aden in notes circulated in the United Nations by the Yemen Delegation.

I have no information that the Egyptian Government have offered to send volunteers to the Yemen. However, the Yemeni Minister in Cairo was reported to have said on 22nd January that 12,000 Egyptian youths had volunteered to fight for the Yemenis.

Mr. Johnson

Has my right hon. and learned Friend any evidence that arms have been supplied to the Yemen by the Soviet Union since the conclusion of the treaty between those two countries in 1955?

Mr. Lloyd

I am at present considering the evidence with regard to that matter and the advisability of publishing it.

Mr. P. Noel-Baker

Is it not our legal duty under Articles 2 and 37 of the Charter to ask the United Nations to discuss this matter, and if we have a good case, as I believe we have, why are the Government afraid to ask for a United Nations Commission to visit the spot?

Mr. Lloyd

There is no question of the Government being afraid to do that, and the right hon. Gentleman does no good to the national interest in making that suggestion. We believe that we have a good case, but the point is that we wish, if we can, to settle this matter directly with the Government of the Yemen. They have only recently been saying that they want direct talks with regard to frontier demarcation to continue; and that is our desire. We want to do that first. I do not rule out the other alternative at all.

Mr. Noel-Baker

How long is the fighting to continue? Is it not a fact that there has been fighting for more than a month?

Mr. Lloyd

There have been incidents over a period of years.

Mr. Fell

Can my right hon. and learned Friend give an assurance that in this case threats of the use of volunteers will not deter us from following the course that we believe to be right?

Mr. Lloyd

Certainly, they will not; whatever the nature of the volunteers may be.

Mr. Nabarro

Send the right hon. Member for Warrington (Dr. Summerskill) to lead the Egyptian volunteers to the Yemen.