§ 60. Mr. Brockwayasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how the United Kingdom's delegates to the United Nations voted on the Indian proposal that the North Koreans be invited to state their case to the General Assembly.
§ The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Mr. David Ormsby-Gore)The United Kingdom Representative, on 3rd January, voted in favour of a United States proposal in the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly that a representative of the Republic of Korea should participate, without a vote, in the discussion of the Korean question. He voted against an Indian amendment inviting also a representative of North Korea.
§ Mr. BrockwayIn view of the fact that four years have elapsed since fighting ceased in Korea, does the right hon. Gentleman not think that it would be good for representatives of both South and North Korea to come to the United Nations to try to reach a settlement?
§ Mr. Ormsby-GoreThe difficulty is that the North Korean Government have cynically violated the provisions of the armistice agreement on numerous occasions. In view of the lack of respect which they have shown for the authority of the United Nations, it would have been neither appropriate nor useful to invite the representative of the North Korean Government to participate in the debate.
§ Mr. S. SilvermanDoes the right hon. Gentleman say that, but for that, the British Government representative would have supported the proposal to bring the North Korean representative to the United Nations? If that were the only reason, would not the best way of controlling any future breaches of any agreement be to have at the United Nations the representatives of the Government in default, able to hear the charges and to answer them?
§ Mr. Ormsby-GoreThat is a purely hypothetical question—
§ Mr. SilvermanNo, it is not.
§ Mr. Ormsby-GoreIt is a purely hypothetical question, and I have given a perfectly good reason why, on this occasion, the representative of North Korea was not asked to give evidence.