HC Deb 29 June 1960 vol 625 cc1374-7
22. Mr. Donnelly

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement regarding the meeting of the South-East Asian Treaty Powers.

Mr. Selwyn Lloyd

The annual Council Meeting of the South-East Asia Treaty Organisation was held at Washington from 31st May to 2nd June. Members exchanged views on international developments affecting the Treaty area, and took stock of the work being done by the military and civil sides of the Organisation. The Council issued a communiqué, a copy of which I am circulating in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Mr. Donnelly

Can the right hon. and learned Gentleman say whether the admission of China to the United Nations was discussed at this S.E.A.T.O. meeting? Is he aware that it is essential to the correcting of the Western posture in Asia to regularise the situation about China? Can he say whether it is the intention of Her Majesty's Government to support the admission of China at the forthcoming General Assembly of the United Nations? Can he say whether, up to now, it is American obtuseness or the British Government's streak of cowardice that has prevented this going further?

Mr. Lloyd

There was a discussion in the Council about the position of China, and I have nothing to add today to what I have repeatedly said about our position on that subject.

Following is the communiqué: The S.E.A.T.O. Council held its Sixth Meeting in Washington, D.C., from 31st May to 2nd June, 1960, under the Chairmanship of the Secretary of State of the United States, the Honourable Christian A. Herter. The inaugural address was delivered by the Vice-President of the United States, the Honourable Richard M. Nixon. Tribute to John Foster Dulles The Council Members joined in paying tribute to the memory of the late John Foster Dulles, former Secretary of State of the United States and one of S.E.A.T.O.'s principal architects. General Observations The Council meeting was held at a time when the international policies of the Communist countries and their future relations with the rest of the world were questions foremost in the minds of governments and peoples. Only a few days earlier the Summit Conference in Paris, which many had hoped would result in at least some limited agreement from which further reductions in world tensions might be developed, had been prevented from meeting by Premier Khrushchev. The Council, therefore, did not meet in that improved international climate which had been hoped for. Moreover, the Council noted that the Communist Chinese, who had not concealed their hostility to a Summit Conference, continued their uncompromising attitude. In these circumstances the overall review of matters affecting the Treaty Area, which has always been an important item of the Council's agenda, took on special significance. In their frank exchange of views on this subject, the Council Members gave particular attention to the intensification during the past year of Communist subversion, insurgency and terrorism in several countries in the Treaty Area, as well as to the potential threat of armed aggression. The Council availed itself of this timely opportunity to re-emphasise the firm unity of purpose of the member countries of S.E.A.T.O. and their determination to maintain and develop, both individually and collectively, their capacity to meet all forms of Communist threat to the peace and security of the Treaty Area. At the same time it re-affirmed the faith of its members in the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and their desire to settle all international disputes by peaceful means. The Council recognised that the Communist challenge posed not only a potential military threat to the independence of countries in the Treaty Area but also an immediate and direct threat to their cultures and ways of life. The members of the Council therefore restated their firm belief that, while military preparedness to meet armed aggression is an essential element in the work of the Treaty Organisation, a true and complete defence against aggression in its broadest sense must be found in the minds and spirits of men. For this reason a significant part of the effort of the Treaty members has been, and is being, directed towards mutual support in the economic, educational and cultural fields. This effort has the positive objectives of strengthening the sense of community throughout the Treaty Area and of developing conditions in which its people will enjoy their freedom to the fullest extent and will therefore hold to it the more resolutely. The Council also emphasised the importance which Treaty members placed on maintaining and developing good relations with other countries of the area which although not members of the Organisation, had the same interest in the preservation of their independence. Counter-subversion The Council noted that further improvements have been made during the year in the arrangements for thorough and up-to-date joint study of subversion and insurgency, which are at present the preferred Communist tactics in the Treaty Area, and for exchanging views on the most effective methods of countering these activities. In this connection special note was taken of the usefulness of the Second Counter-Subversion Seminar held in Lahore in February and of the continuing work of the Committee of Security Experts. Military Defence The Council expressed satisfaction with the progress reported by the Military Advisers. Their work on planning and military exercises constitutes a reassurance that S.E.A.T.O. will be able successfully to resist aggression. The Council commended the efforts of the officers and men who participated in the exercises of the past year. The Council placed on record its appreciation of the outstanding services rendered the Organisation by Brigadier L. W. Thornton, C.B.E., of New Zealand, who is completing his tour of duty as Chief, S.E.A.T.O. Military Planning Office, and welcomed his successor, Major General J. G. N. Wilton, C.B.E., D.S.O., of Australia, and Commodore S. M. Ahsan, S.Q.A., D.S.C., of Pakistan, the newly-appointed Deputy-Chief, Military Planning Office. Economic Co-operation In the field of economic co-operation there has been substantial progress reflected in such projects as: The S.E.A.T.O. Graduate School of Engineering in Bangkok, which is expected to provide much needed talent essential to the economic development of South-East Asia; The S.E.A.T.O. skilled labour projects in the Philippines, Thailand and Pakistan, which are developing essential skills in short supply in the Treaty Area; The area-wide S.E.A.T.O. meteorological communications project, which has moved forward as a result of a survey team visit to Pakistan. Thailand and the Philippines. This project would bring about improved radio communications, greater safety for air travel, and a reduction of typhoon damage and crop and property losses by providing advance warning of weather conditions. The Treaty Area being heavily dependent on a few valuable staple crops, the Council approved a United States proposal to study the possibility of establishing an Institute of Tropical and Sub-Tropical Agriculture, which would seek means of preventing diseases that threaten those crops, and of developing greater agricultural diversification. It was also agreed that the S.E.A.T.O. Cholera Research project in Thailand be converted to a S.E.A.T.O. Medical Research Laboratory which would contribute to the eradication, not only of cholera but also of other diseases. The Council agreed that the Committee of Economic Experts should be entirely free to discuss on a technical and advisory basis relevant economic problems of member countries, bearing in mind the established functions of other international agencies. Decisions on such matters will be left to the Council Representatives or to Member Governments. Cultural Activity During the past year S.E.A.T.O. awarded a large number of Research Fellowships, Professorships, Post-graduate and Undergraduate Scholarships, and Travelling Lectureships. In view of the effectiveness of this programme in bringing about a greater understanding among people of the S.E.A.T.O. nations, the Council decided to continue these activities during the coming year. It looked forward with expectation to the Conference of Heads of Universities, scheduled to be held early next year, to be attended by eminent educators from both S.E.A.T.O. and other Asian countries. Secretary-General Appreciative references were made to the outstanding services of the Secretary-General His Excellency Mr. Pote Sarasin, and it was decided to ask him to continue in office until the conclusion of the 1963 Conference. The Secretary-General accepted. Expression of Gratitude The Council expressed its gratitude to the Government of the United States for its hospitality and the excellent arrangements made for the Conference. The Meeting closed with a warm vote of thanks to the Chairman, the Honourable Christian A. Herter.

Next Meeting

The Council accepted with pleasure the invitation of the Government of Thailand to hold its next meeting in Bangkok in March. 1961.

Leaders of National Delegations

The leaders of the national delegations to the Council Meeting were: