§ 67. Mr. Healeyasked the Lord Privy Seal, if he will now make a statement concerning negotiations for the return of the International Commission to Laos.
§ 66. Mr. Warbeyasked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a further statement of the policy of Her Majesty's Government in relation to the situation in Laos.
§ 54. Mr. Brockwayasked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the progress of discussions for international action to facilitate a settlement in Laos.
§ 57. Mr. P. Noel-Bakerasked the Lord Privy Seal whether Her Majesty's Government are now ready to accept the proposal for a conference of 14 nations on the situation in Laos proposed by Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia.
§ Mr. HeathThe Soviet Government did not accept the United Kingdom proposal that the International Commission should proceed immediately to Laos. They linked the idea of reconvening the Commission with a proposal to hold an international conference on the lines proposed by Prince Sihanouk. At the same time the King of Laos put forward a proposal for a Neutral Nations Commission to visit Laos to supervise arms 29 deliveries and to put an end to foreign intervention. This was followed by the talks at Phnom Penh between representatives of the Laotian Government and Prince Souvanna Phouma, which have so far failed to produce the agreement for which we hoped.
We have been consulting the other Governments about these suggestions. Although there now seems to be unanimity among all interested parties that we should aim for the establishment of a truly neutral Laos, we have not yet reached agreement on procedures for achieving this.
§ Mr. HealeyHas it not been now clear for many weeks that there will have to be an international conference to decide how to achieve the neutrality of Laos in the future and that by insisting on other procedure the Western Powers have now lost three very important and valuable months? In view of the serious reports reaching this country regarding the present situation inside Laos, will the Minister assure the House that Her Majesty's Government will support the idea of an international conference to decide the future status of Laotian neutrality and, in particular, will he give the House an assurance that Her Majesty's Government will not support military intervention by S.E.A.T.O. in the Laotian civil war?
§ Mr. HeathWe have never excluded the possibility of having a conference. Our object was to find the speediest way of getting action taken. As I have pointed out, many problems still remain to be solved in the discussions which we are having about these suggestions which, of course, include a conference of the two kinds.
§ Mr. RidsdaleCan the Lord Privy Seal tell the House something about the present military situation, because it seems to have some influence on the negotiations which are taking place.
§ Mr. HeathIf my hon. Friend will put down a Question, I will give him as much detail as I can about the military situation. It is true that intervention and the supply of arms is taking place in Laos at the moment.
§ Mr. Noel-BakerHas it not been obvious for three months that we should get the International Commission back 30 if we agree to the conference, and what conceivable reason can there be for not agreeing to the conference?
§ Mr. HeathAs I said in my reply, we are carrying on consultation with the other countries concerned about arrangements both for the International Control Commission and for a conference, and whether it should be a resumption of the Geneva conference or whether Prince Sihanouk's suggestion for a larger fourteen Power conference should take place.
§ Mr. Noel-BakerWhile we have been carrying on a conversation the Laotian Government have been carrying on a war. Would it not be better to agree definitely and at once to a conference?
§ Mr. HeathIt is not just a question of our agreeing to a conference. Many other countries are involved in this. The Laotians have taken their own initiative through the King that there should be a neutral nations commission. This, unfortunately, has not materialised either. In addition, the present Laotian Government are carrying on conversations with Prince Souvanna Phouma about the widening of the Government. At first the Prince undertook to consult between the different factions in Laos, but unfortunately, at the end of last week, this consideration failed to materialise.
Mr. HendersonWill the Lord Privy Seal say whether it is correct that the Soviet Union and the United States are supplying arms to the respective parties to the dispute, and if so, would it not be helpful if that supply were to be stopped?
§ Mr. HeathWe have always made it plain that we think that there should not be intervention and the supply of arms to Laos.
§ Mr. HealeyWill the right hon. Gentleman tell the United States Government that we welcome their conversion to the idea of genuine neutrality for Laos? Would he not agree that the West only lose by this long delay in invoking an international conference and that the sooner such a conference is invoked the better.
§ Mr. HeathWe shall carry on diplomatic discussions with all the countries 31 involved in order to achieve the result we want. We are very anxious that we should have a cease-fire in Laos and that intervention should cease.