§ 46. Mr. Harold Daviesasked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make available a White Paper on the visit of the Foreign Secretary to Spain; and if he will assure the House that Her Majesty's Government will not support the entry of Spain to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
§ Mr. HeathMy noble Friend will be visiting Portugal from the 25th to the 28th May and Spain from 29th to 31st May in return for the visits paid to this country by the Foreign Ministers of these countries last year. Both visits will give an opportunity for a general exchange of views on international questions and for talks on matters of mutual interest, but no agenda for these discussions has been fixed. As will be seen from the dates, these visits will be after, not before, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Ministerial meeting at Oslo, with which they have no connection.
§ Mr. DaviesIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that 170 Members on this side of the House signed a Motion on 30 the Spanish position and on the suggestion which was put forward that Spain should become a member of N.A.T.O.? Is the Lord Privy Seal able to assure the House that before such action is taken the House will have a full opportunity to debate this and that a White Paper will be issued by the Government stating their position and the results of their discussions with the Spanish authorities?
§ Mr. HeathAs I have already said, the visit of my noble Friend has no connection with the N.A.T.O. Ministerial meeting nor with the suggestion referred to in the hon. Gentleman's Question. Membership of N.A.T.O. is entirely a matter for all the member countries of N.A.T.O.
§ Mr. HealeyDoes the Lord Privy Seal agree that it is a very unfortunate decision to make such a visit at this time? [HON. MEMBERS: "Why?"] Because the Portuguese Government are under strong censure from the United Nations Assembly for their behaviour in Angola, and the Spanish Government show signs of driving a breach in the relations they have so far maintained with the United States. Can the right hon. Gentleman at least assure the House that there is no truth in the report by the diplomatic correspondent of The Times which suggests that Her Majesty's Government are trying to curry favour with Franco at a time when Franco's relations with the American Administration are becoming strained?
§ Mr. HeathAs I have explained, these visits by my noble Friend are in reply to the visits which were paid to this country last year by the Foreign Ministers of Spain and Portugal. We have diplomatic relations with Spain and Portugal, and we are very glad of the opportunity of mutual exchange and improving these relations.
§ Mr. M. FootWhat are the subjects of mutual interest under discussion with the Spanish Government? Will the Lord Privy Seal give a clear undertaking that these are no proposals at all for bringing Spain into the N.A.T.O. arrangements?
§ Mr. HeathThere is no agenda arranged for the talks my noble Friend is to have. We have many interests in common with Spain. We carry on a great deal of trade with Spain. Four hundred thousand British citizens visit Spain on holiday every year.
§ Mr. S. SilvermanWould it not be a strangely cynical irony if at the moment when South Africa is being excluded from the Commonwealth of Nations we should take to our bosoms Franco Spain?
§ Sir T. MooreCan my right hon. Friend explain why there is this consistent vendetta against Spain on behalf of the Opposition when they fall over backwards in welcoming with open arms still more Fascist countries in the East?
§ Mr. W. HamiltonIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that, in view of the Foreign Secretary's past record, this side of the House views his interest with very grave suspicion? The right hon. Gentleman has said that the question of membership of N.A.T.O. is for the N.A.T.O. Powers themselves, but is he aware that he has not yet answered the specific point contained in the second part of my hon. Friend's Question, which asks him to give an assurance that Her Majesty's Government will not support such a move?
§ Mr. HeathI cannot give assurances of that kind in advance. If this matter were to be raised, it would obviously have to be considered in the light of the circumstances at the time by all the N.A.T.O. Powers.
§ Mr. GaitskellCannot the right hon. Gentleman say definitely, if it is the case, that there is a present, so far as he knows, no such proposal being made?