§ 32. Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for discussions within the next six months with Britain's Commonwealth and other allies on proposals to reduce the British military commitment east of Suez; and whether he will take steps to reduce this commitment speedily.
§ Mr. HealeyWe are in constant communication with our Commonwealth and other allies over the whole range of international affairs which have a bearing on the speed with which we can implement the reductions foreshadowed in the Defence Review. These reductions will be carried out as quickly as is both practicable and consistent with our political obligations.
§ Mr. HamiltonIs it not the case that my right hon. Friend went to Canberra and to Washington earlier this year with a firm policy in mind of reducing this commitment drastically, that strong representations were made to him by Australia and by the United States to reverse that policy and that he acceded to those representations? Will he take steps either to confirm or to deny this and give an assurance that we are not committed unilaterally to defend that area until the 1990s or the turn of the century?
§ Mr. HealeyI am glad that my hon. Friend has given me an opportunity to deny completely the story, on which he based his remarks, in the Observer last Sunday. There is not an atom of truth in that story. It is on record, and in the House of Commons Library, that I pointed out to the people of Australia in my speech at the Press Club in Canberra—in which incidentally, I did not say, as some hon. Members have been led to believe, that we should maintain all our present commitments until the 1980s; that can easily be checked—that we should expect a fair sharing of the burden.
§ Mr. Biggs-DavisonIf the Government persist in their determination to rat on their obligations in Aden, does the right hon. Gentleman think that we shall be able to respond to any further appeals for military assistance from Commonwealth Governments in Africa?
§ Mr. HealeyFirst, I cannot accept the hon. Member's statement that we are ratting on our commitments in Aden. We are perfectly satisfied that our capability for carrying out such operations as we think are likely to be required in Africa will not be affected by a withdrawal from Aden, not least because we have made arrangements to provide ourselves with long-range transport aircraft which, under the previous Government's policies, we should not have had for another six years.
§ Mr. PagetCan my right hon. Friend say whether the fact that Malaysia, so far from expressing gratitude for her defence, is now ordering our troops out, will accelerate the process of leaving the Middle East? It certainly seems to be an illustration that troops are not a very good way of buying either gratitude or trade.
§ Mr. HealeyMy hon. and learned Friend, with his vast experience of international affairs, will agree that gratitude is not a commodity which one seeks to acquire through doing one's duty.
§ Mr. Evelyn KingDoes not the right hon. Gentleman agree that he would secure worth-while defence economies if he were to discuss the withdrawal of both British missions and British troops from the Sudan, from Zambia and from other African countries?
§ Mr. HealeyNo, Sir.