VIETNAM (Hansard, 1 June 1967)

§ Q3. Sir C. Osborne
asked the Prime Minister if he will offer to the North Vietnamese Government visas for their representatives to visit Great Britain and to publicly put their view on the Vietnam war on condition that a similar number of British representatives are given equal facilities to put the British point of view publicly to the Vietnamese people.

§ Mr. George Brown
I have been asked to reply.
The need at the moment is to talk about peace, not about war. If the North Vietnamese Government were willing to accept our representatives for serious talks on ways and means of ending the conflict, or were willing to send their representatives here for this purpose, they would find Her Majesty's Government immediately responsive.

§ Sir C. Osborne
I am obliged to the right hon. Gentleman for that Answer, but, while recognising the difficulties that he has in this problem, may I ask whether 251 he would not agree that the only hope for the peace which he seeks is for both sides to hear the other side's point of view, and will he do whatever he can to see that that comes about?

§ Mr. Brown
Frankly, I do not want to become involved in a propaganda exercise here. When the hon. Gentleman talks about both sides hearing the other side's point of view, of course, we are not one of the sides. My concern is to give what help I can either to bring the parties together or to find some other forum in which means of ending or reducing the hostilities or moving on to talks can be found. I am willing to take any steps to do that, but I do not see much point in becoming involved in a propaganda exercise.

§ Mr. Molloy
Would my right hon. Friend not agree that, in so far as we are not supposed to be one of the sides, it would be difficult to send official representatives here, but in so far as we might have some influence, official bodies coming here to explain the view of the Vietnamese and people from this country going to Vietnam, we could make a contribution to ending this disgusting tragedy of a war?

§ Mr. Brown
A lot would depend on who went where and what they did when they got there, but, on the serious part of the question, the very fact that we are not one of the sides, and that we share with the Soviet Union responsibility as co-Chairmen, does give us the position to play a rôle in trying to bring this disgraceful war to an end. I want to keep that position. I want to be able to use it at the appropriate moment, and that is why I gave the hon. Gentleman the answer that I did.