HC Deb 12 February 1958 vol 582 cc377-9
37. Mr. Brockway

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent meeting of the Governments which are parties to the Bagdad Pact.

49. Mr. S. O. Davies

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what decision was taken upon the proposal made at the recent meeting of the Bagdad Pact members at Ankara that missile bases be established in the countries of its Asiatic members.

54. Mr. Philips Price

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what proposals were made and accepted by the countries taking part in the Bagdad Pact Conference at Ankara for economic development in the Middle East.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Commander Allan Noble)

A full account of the Council meeting was contained in the communiqué issued at Ankara on 30th January. I will circulate the text in the OFFICIAL REPORT, together with a note on the meeting of the meeting of the Economic Committee which gives some details of the proposals for economic development which were adopted.

No proposal to establish missile bases was made. The subject was not discussed at all.

Mr. Brockway

May I ask the right hon. and gallant Gentleman whether he does not think it timely to reconsider the whole policy which is reflected in the Bagdad Pact, particularly in its military aspect? Further, if the object was to contain Communism, is not the Bagdad Pact itself a main instrument of Communist propaganda in the Middle East, with considerable success?

Commander Noble

I think the hon Gentleman will find that the communiqué reveals useful progress in all fields of the Pact's activities and confirms the confidence that we have in it as an important factor for peace and progress in the Middle East.

Mr. S. O. Davies

Is not the right hon. and gallant Gentleman aware that the Middle East newspapers in the countries concerned in this Bagdad Pact have made it abundantly clear that, although this question of missile bases was not on the official agenda, it certainly was discussed in more informal meetings, and that these Middle East countries were against the establishment of such missile bases in their countries?

Commander Noble

I understand that reports, as suggested by the hon. Member, were put out from Cairo and Moscow. I should advise the hon. Member not to believe them.

Following are the documents:

COMMUNIQUE OF THE BAGDAD PACT MINISTERIAL

COUNCIL: ANKARA, 1958

The fourth session of the Bagdad Pact Council was held in the New Grand National Assembly building in Ankara from January 27 to January 30, 1958. His Excellency Mr. Adnan Menderes, Prime Minister of Turkey, was in the Chair. The delegations from the member countries were led by:

The United States participated through a delegation led by the honourable John Foster Dulles, Secretary of State.

The Council noted with satisfaction the presence of Mr. Dulles at the session.

The Council during its four day session reviewed the work of the Bagdad Pact organisation and after discussions adopted the reports and recommendations of:

The Council recalled that the Bagdad Pact arose from the desire of the peoples of the area for security from Communist imperialism or Communist-inspired domination in any shape or form, and noted with satisfaction that despite attacks on the Pact and its members the Pact had developed into a strong and cohesive organisation representing the best hope for the safeguard of peace, liberty and independence in the area. The purpose of the Pact, a free alliance between equal partners, is the defence and security of the area. This is as vital to world peace as it is to constructive co-operation for the benefit of the 135 million people of the Pact region who are predominantly Muslim. The Council recognised that attempts at subversion in the area must be defeated and peaceful conditions maintained. The Council reaffirmed that the economic progress of the Pact area and the promotion of the social wellbeing of its people require a speedy implementation of its programme of economic development.

Political The Council reviewed the international situation in a series of meetings. A number of these meetings were of a private nature in which heads of delegation's were able to ex- change views and information with that frankness which befits the equal and intimate association of member countries within the Pact. The Council recognised the usefulness of full and candid discussions which have become an invaluable feature of the Bagdad Pact organisation. The Council recognised the need for constant exposure of the familiar Communist technique, that of subversive penetration, falsely presented as friendly co-existence, and help for underdeveloped countries. While the free world has taken bold and important steps in the liberation and granting of independence to many nations in recent years, and while it is striving to settle the problems of the area in a spirit of justice and equality the Council noted with regret that in pursuit of its aims, the international Communist movement attempts to exploit nationalism, fear of war, economic distress, the plight of Arab refugees, "Colonialist" and Afro-Asian sentiment through propaganda and Communist controlled and influenced organisations. Communist efforts to penetrate the region by means of indirect aggression such as infiltration and subversion continue to be a menace and call for constant vigilance and increased solidarity. The Council further noted that since its last meeting in Karachi in June, 1957, Communist imperialism had increased its efforts to dominate the Middle East. These efforts, in the form of pressure, threats and false accusations, were particularly directed by the Soviet Union against Turkey, whose calm and courageous stand evoked the admiration of her associates in the Council. The Council expressed the desirability of co-operation between the Pact and other free world regional collective security organisations, in the belief that closer contacts among the free world nations would contribute to their common cause of promoting security and social well-being for their peoples. The Council noted with concern that areas of conflict which offer a rich opportunity for exploitation by Communist imperialism and which constitute a potential threat to international peace continue to exist in various parts of the world. It devoted considerable time to discussion of the situations in the Mediterranean region, the Middle East and South Asia and emphasised that situations which imperil the security of the Pact area should be resolved in accordance with the principles of justice and the United Nations Charter. The Council was of the opinion that the indiscriminate use of the veto in the Security Council should be given up as an instrument of cold war so that the United Nations can function as an effective force for the pacific settlement of disputes. The Council believed that the concept of the United Nations Emergency Force as an instrument of the United Nations and its use in areas of disturbance should be recommended for acceptance to members of the United Nations. While recognising the continuing need for vigilance and therefore for constant improvement in the security and defence of the Pact area, the Council reaffirmed their earnest desire for peace and their determination to spare no efforts to seek it. Economic The Council reviewed the work of the Economic Committee and approved resolutions containing recommendations in the fields of health, agriculture, communications, public works, trade and the financing of joint projects. The Council noted with satisfaction that a firm basis of economic co-operation had been established on which the Pact could continue to build and that, as a result of the work done by the Sub-Committees, there is now a promising programme of technical assistance which is developing on a co-operative basis. This will be of great benefit to the living standards in the region. Technical assistance already provided or planned covers the following fields: health, agriculture, pest control, animal health, and animal production. In the field of technical assistance the Government of Iran has allocated 10,000.000 rials, and the Government of Turkey 750,000 over a period of five years. These are in addition to the offers made at Karachi (namely £1,000,000 over five years by the United Kingdom and Rs500,000 by Pakistan). The Council noted that progress had been made in the implementation of approved joint projects. It approved the resolution of the Economic Committee for further implementation of those projects. This resolution recommends that the donor governments, members of the Bagdad Pact Economic Committee, give early and favourable consideration to providing assistance for such projects, and that member countries of the region continue their present efforts to implement them. The Council recognised the need for specification on approved projects and was pleased to note that the survey for the telecommunications network linking the capitals of the area members was already under way. It received with appreciation the announcement by the United States that it expected to provide an additional 10,000,000 dollars thus ensuring that most of the funds needed for the construction of this network will be available. The U.S. referred also to the possibility of obtaining additional financing for joint projects from the world bank, the Export-Import bank and the recently established development loan fund. Scientific Co-operation The Council noted that co-operation among members of the Economic Committee and the sub-committees in the nuclear centre and its scientific council is already making a contribution to the raising of standards of technical and scientific knowledge in the Pact countries. It decided that their deputies should examine the possibilities of extending the present programme into wider fields. Military The Council noted that "the combined military planning organisation" had been set up in Bagdad last autumn. This gave considerable impetus to defensive military planning, increased the effectiveness of the defence efforts of the signatory states of the Pact and marked a significant step forward in the determination of member nations by international co-operation to uphold their sovereignty. The Council approved the designation of the permanent planning organisation as the "Combined Military Planning Staff" and approved a charter for the Director and his staff. Among the ditties of the Combined Military Planning Staff are the planning and coordinating of combined staff training exercises. The Council also accepted a recommendation of the Military Committee to hold combined staff training exercises in the near future. The Council also accepted the Military Committee's recommendation to appoint Lieutenant-General Ekrem Akalin of the Turkish army to be Director of the Combined Military Planning Staff for the year 1958. He will be assisted by Major-General Daniel S. Campbell of the United States Forces, who has been the Deputy-Director of the Combined Military Planning Staff since September 1957. The Council commended the work in 1957 of the first Director of the Combined Military Planning Staff. Major-General M. Habibullah Khan of the Pakistan Army. Next Meeting of the Council The Council decided to hold its next meeting at the ministerial level in London in July, 1958. Meanwhile the Council will continue to meet regularly at the deputy level.