HC Deb 17 June 1958 vol 589 cc889-90
38. Colonel Beamish

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what reports he has received from Aden about the use by Yemeni forces of newly-acquired arms and military equipment during recent attacks on Aden territory; whether the source of these arms, &c., is known; and what protest he is contemplating making about these acts either through the United Nations or direct to the countries concerned.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

Last year substantial shipments of arms from the Soviet bloc were delivered to the Yemen and some of this equipment, including mortars and heavy machine guns, has been used on the frontier. As my right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary told the House on 24th July, 1956, the policy of Her Majesty's Government has always been to urge restraint in arms deliveries to the Middle East but arms deliveries do not in themselves constitute grounds for protest. Her Majesty's Government have of course reported to the United Nations acts of Yemeni aggression on the frontier and have protested to the Yemeni Government.

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