§ Q1. Mr. Wallasked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference.
§ Q6. Mr. Fauldsasked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' replies to his proposals for resolving the Rhodesian rebellion.
§ The Prime Minister (Mr. Harold Wilson)I would refer hon. Members to the communiqué of the Meeting which is contained in a White Paper laid before the House on 12th October, a copy of which is in the Library.
§ Mr. WallI congratulate the Prime Minister on his chairmanship. What action is proposed to prevent the emergence of racial cliques at any future conference? Would he say why there was reference to Portuguese territories, which are surely no concern of the Commonwealth?
§ The Prime MinisterI am grateful for what the hon. Gentleman said. He will realise that this was one of the most difficult Commonwealth Conferences, in the circumstances, that there could possibly be. I do not accept his phrase "racial cliques", but concern was expressed by a number of the elder Prime Ministers there about what were described as "caucus meetings" in which provisional decisions were taken off the floor of the Conference. As to Portuguese territories, the hon. Gentleman will find that this was dealt with in the 1965 communiqué as well and, I think, in earlier communiqués—in 1964—although I may be wrong.
§ Mr. FauldsDoes my right hon. Friend not realise that, in any settlement, unless a definite term is set to the period of minority government of the rebel regimé in Rhodesia, he might as well wrap up 30 the Commonwealth and chuck it into limbo?
§ The Prime MinisterI have no intention of taking any such action, but, with regard to any settlement in Rhodesia, as my colleagues at the Commonwealth Conference are well aware, we shall act within and only within the terms of the principles which have been laid down by this Government and, indeed, by our predecessors.