§ Q.5. Mr. Hugh Jenkinsasked the Prime Minister if, in view of recent official statements by the United States Government concerning their policy on Vietnam, he will give an assurance that Her Majesty's Government's policy is still to strive for peace negotiations; and if he will make a statement.
§ Q.7. Mr. Hefferasked the Prime Minister if, in pursuance of Her Majesty's Government's initiative to seek peace in 1639 Vietnam, he will seek to hold consultations with President Johnson on the peace overtures by the North Vietnam Government; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Prime MinisterIt is our policy still to strive for peace negotiations. I shall be discussing with President Johnson all aspects of the Vietnam situation.
§ Mr. JenkinsHas my right hon. Friend noted the statement attributed to the American Secretary of State recently in which he said that the United States may, under certain circumstances, be prepared to discontinue the air bombardment of Vietnam? Does he agree that this air bombardment is a major cause of the lack of reaching peace negotiations, and will he press this matter with the President of the United States?
§ The Prime MinisterThe statement of the Secretary of State came as less of a surprise to me than I think it did to my hon. Friend. So far as the air bombardment is concerned and the correlated question of infiltration from North Vietnam, I do not think that I need say more than was said in June on both points in the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' communiqué, and—I add this at the risk of bringing up a sensitive subject again—it was endorsed unanimously by the Labour Party Conference.
§ Mr. HefferIn view of the fact that yesterday Mr. Gromyko also made a speech in which he emphasised that a precondition of negotiations was the ending of bombing, and also Mr. Dean Rusk yesterday made a similar statement, is not this an opportunity now, before the Prime Minister goes to meet President Johnson, to raise the matter again urgently with the American Government?
§ The Prime MinisterI think that the whole House agrees, because it has been said from both sides, that obviously the most helpful development would be initiative by the two co-Chairmen under the Geneva Agreement. That is what my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is discussing this week with the Soviet Government. Although they have put it negatively that they cannot have a conference unless the bombing stops, what we have not had is a statement that they will call a conference if the bombing stops.
§ Q8. Mr. Hefferasked the Prime Minister if in pursuance of Her Majesty's Government's initiative to seek peace in Vietnam, Her Majesty's Government will seek to hold consultations with the Roumanian Government concerning a peaceful settlement in Vietnam; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Prime MinisterMy information is that the Roumanian Government are not interested in the rôle of mediator.
§ Mr. HefferThat is not my information. In view of the fact that Roumania has kept good relations with China as well as with the Soviet Union, would not this be a good channel in order to get China's interest in the question of negotiation?
§ The Prime MinisterBecause of our concern that anyone who might be able to act as a mediator should be able to do so, we made specific inquiries of the Roumanian Government, but I am sorry to say that we were told that they were not concerned to act in this rôle.