§ 4. Mr. Harold Daviesasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will list the treaty obligations which the United Kingdom now have with Bahrain; and, in the light of these obligations, what consultations have recently taken place between Her Majesty's Government and the United States concerning the use of Bahrain as a base in connection with the proposed establishment of a Fifth American Fleet in the Indian Ocean.
§ Mr. ProfumoHer Majesty's Government have a treaty obligation to support Bahrain in case of need and to maintain her independence. No consultations of the kind mentioned by the hon. Member have taken place between ourselves and the United States Government.
§ Mr. DaviesIs the hon. Member saying that there has been no request for the use of Bahrain for the proposed Fifth American Fleet in the Indian Ocean? Secondly, do our treaty obligations mean that if military Iran decided that it wanted Bahrain, we have an obligation to protect Bahrain against the people of Iran if they want that island once more?
§ Mr. ProfumoThe answer to the first part of the supplementary question is "Yes, Sir." The second part, I think, is hypothetical. At all events, it goes further than the Question on the Order Paper, and I think that the hon. Member will have to put it down on the Paper.