§ 21. Mr. Healeyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what arrangements he has made to co-ordinate British and Soviet supplies of arms to the Iraqi Government under obligations to which Her Majesty's Government are a party.
§ Mr. Selwyn LloydI am not clear what obligations the hon. Member has in mind, but in any case the Answer is that no such arrangements have been made.
§ Mr. HealeyDoes not the Foreign Secretary feel that, instead of competing with the Soviet Government for first place as the arsenal of Communism in the Middle East, it would be wiser to reach agreement with it about limiting arms deliveries to all the countries in this very unsettled area?
§ Mr. LloydI do not accept the inference in the hon. Gentleman's supplementary question. Regarding the Question on the Order Paper, I do not think that either the Soviet Union or Iraq would welcome such an arrangement; and that sort of agreement, without the consent of Iraq, is just a way of affronting nationalist sentiment.