§ 37. Mr. G. Brownasked the Minister of Defence if he will give details of the additional military and financial commitments entered into by Great Britain at the recent meeting of the Bagdad Pact Council at Karachi.
§ Mr. SandysHer Majesty's Government entered into no new military commitment.
With regard to the economic side, I would ask the right hon. Gentleman to await the reply of my right hon. Friend, the Foreign Secretary to Question No. 58.
§ Mr. BrownWe will, of course, do that. With regard to the right hon. Gentleman's broadcast from Karachi, I see that he said, according to the telegram which was distributed by the Foreign Office containing the substance of his broadcast, that on the military side we are holding forces in readiness to support our Allies should the need arise. This looked like something very much more positive and new than has ever been suggested before. Will the right hon. Gentleman say what he meant by that phrase?
§ Mr. SandysIt was virtually a quotation from the Defence White Paper of 1957.
§ Mr. BevanThe right hon. Gentleman says, as I understand it, that he entered into no additional military commitments; but the Question asks about financial commitments as well. Were there any additional financial commitments?
§ Mr. SandysI said in my reply that I hoped the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Belper (Mr. G. Brown) would wait for the reply of the Foreign Secretary to Question No. 58.
§ Mr. BrownSince the Minister relies upon the words he used being a quotation from the 1957 White Paper, will he tell 1177 us where these forces have been held in readiness from that date until now? To which forces is he referring?
§ Mr. SandysIn the 1957 White Paper we said that we would maintain Canberra air squadrons in Cyprus available to support the Bagdad Pact. I also referred—I have no wish to add to or subtract from anything said in the White Paper—to the availability of troops which might at the time be stationed in the Middle Eastern area.
§ Mr. SandysI was not referring solely to Cyprus.