§ 10. Mr. Stracheyasked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, in view of the responsibilities of Her Majesty's Government for the external relations of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, whether he will now publicly dissociate Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom from the expressions of solidarity with the Portuguese and South African authorities in Africa made by the Prime 1497 Minister of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland on 12th February in the Federal Parliament.
§ Mr. BraineI see no reason why Sir Roy Welensky should not express his views on matters which are of close and direct concern to the Federation.
§ Mr. StracheyDoes the Under-Secretary now suggest that we are not responsible for the external relations of the Federation? Does he deny that this was a statement directly relevant to the external relations of the Federation and does he deny that it is of the utmost importance, in the interests of Southern Rhodesia, that Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom should dissociate themselves forthwith from these expressions of solidarity with suicidal policies in the southern part of Africa?
§ Mr. BraineAs the right hon. Gentleman is perfectly well aware, Her Majesty's Government have the ultimate responsibility for the external relations of the Federation, but there is no reason why Sir Roy Welensky should not express his own views in his own Parliament. I should have thought that the attitude of Her Majesty's Government on broader questions affecting the Federation's neighbours was crystal clear, but if the right hon. Gentleman wants it clarified further all he has to do is to put down a Question on the subject to the Lord Privy Seal. I would only add that if the right hon. Gentleman had studied Sir Roy Welensky's speech in full, he would have seen that the Federal Prime Minister, in talking about solidarity, was referring to the advantages of collaboration with his neighbours in what he called the battle against the real problems of Africa—poverty, ignorance and disease—and that this could be won only by pooling resources and exchanging ideas. I should have thought that that makes sense to all who are not blinded by prejudice.
§ Mr. StracheyDoes the Under-Secretary think that it makes sense to say that the battle against poverty and disease in Africa can be fought by collaboration with the present authorities in Angola or on the policy of apartheid in South Africa? Is it not high time that Her Majesty's Government dissociated themselves from these views?
§ Mr. BraineSurely the right hon. Gentleman was in East Africa sufficiently long to know that the tsetse fly takes no account of apartheid.