§ Q1. Mr. P. Noel-Bakerasked the Prime Minister whether he will consult the Prime Ministers of the other members of the Commonwealth with a view to a 599 common initiative in favour of the seating of the Peking Government at the next session of the United Nations.
§ The Prime Minister (Mr. Harold Macmillan)Her Majesty's Government are conscious of the complexity of this question on which differing views are held. We certainly expect to be in consultation with Commonwealth and other friendly Governments before this issue next comes before the United Nations.
§ Mr. Noel-BakerI thank the Prime Minister for that not unhelpful reply. Since the noble Lord the Foreign Secretary has now officially stated that the view of Her Majesty's Government is that the Government of Peking should be given its rightful seat in the Assembly of the United Nations and on the Security Council, and since India, Pakistan and Ceylon strongly share this view, would not a Commonwealth initiative be the best way to achieve the desired result?
§ The Prime MinisterIt is not for me to represent the views of other Commonwealth Governments, but on previous occasions they have been very different. I hope that progress will be made.
§ Mr. TeelingIn view of the fact that Australia, New Zealand and, I believe, Canada, do not even recognise the Peking Government but the one at Formosa, would not it be extremely difficult for the Prime Minister to press this matter of seating Peking at the United Nations?
§ The Prime MinisterAs I said, it is a very complex matter.