§ Q5. Mr. Rankinasked the Prime Minister what consultations Her Majesty's Government had with the co-Chairman of the 1954 Geneva Conference before agreeing to send troops to Thailand.
§ The Prime MinisterNone, Sir. The present—
§ Mr. RankinOn a point of Order, Mr. Speaker. The Question as printed refers to "co-Chairman". It should be" co-Chairmen".
§ The Prime MinisterDespite that vital correction, my Answer will not be seriously affected. None, Sir. The present Geneva Conference is concerned with the settlement of the Laotian question. As I said in the House on 17th May in reply to a Question from the right hon. Gentleman the Leader of the Opposition, the objective of our Air Force contingent, if it is sent to Thailand, will be to defend that country if it is attacked. That is quite a different matter from the subject of the Geneva Conference and the question of consulting the Soviet co-Chairman of that Conference did not arise.
§ Mr. RankinWould not the right hon. Gentleman agree that the 1954 Conference devised a formula Which would have brought peace and security to South-East Asia, but that it seemed to be retarded because too many troops came in to spoil the broth, particularly from the West? Would it not appear that Thailand, too, is now of the view that she does not want more troops? Would 225 the right hon. Gentleman therefore not reconsider his offer to send British forces to Thailand.
§ The Prime MinisterNo, Sir. Our offer and the offers of Australia and New Zealand have been a stabilising influence. Whether those offers are accepted or not rests with the Thai Government, and I have made that clear. I am not without hope that, after many disappointments, we shall make some advance towards what we are trying to do, which is to get a settlement by the creation of a neutral Government. We hope by that means to keep Laos a neutral country.
§ Mr. GaitskellCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether any proposal has been made by Her Majesty's Government to the Soviet Government that the International Control Commission should examine the facts of the breaking of the cease-fire? Can he also say whether or not it is possible for the Geneva Conference itself to consider again the situation in Laos with a view to obtaining the settlement mentioned by the right hon. Gentleman?
§ The Prime MinisterWe have, of course, considered reconvening the Conference, but I am not sure that that would be the best thing to do at the moment. The Conference did reach a conclusion, and it was very satisfactory that it did. The difficulty has been to implement the conclusion, which was to try to set up a neutral Government representing these various sections, and that is what we are trying to do. If we can succeed, we shall have succeeded in carrying out the purpose of the Conference.
§ Mr. GaitskellWould the right hon. Gentleman answer my Question about the Control Commission?
§ The Prime MinisterThe International Control Commission's duty is to try to re-establish the cease-fire. We have been in touch with the Governments concerned, and we hope that this will be possible to achieve. By far the best thing would be if the conference which I believe is now going to take place succeeded in making the new Government. Then I think we would have done far the best thing to settle things in that part of the world.
§ Mr. RankinIn view of what the Prime Minister has just said, does it not seem that the Conference is a far more important matter than sending troops which, it would appear, Thailand does not want? Would he therefore not reconsider sending them from the point of view that it would be a better contribution to the Conference and to peace to keep the troops here?
§ The Prime MinisterThis was an offer of troops for which the Thai Government are grateful, and they will decide whether to take it up or not.