HC Deb 12 June 1967 vol 748 cc74-6
9. Mr. Dewar

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement on his discussions with King Faisal during his visit to this country.

11. Mr. Moyle

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on discussions he has had with King Faisal of Saudi Arabia during the recent State visit.

55. Mr. Wall

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on his talks with the King of Saudi Arabia.

60. Mr. Stratton Mills

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on his discussions with King Faisal during his recent visit to the United Kingdom.

Mr. George Brown

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister circulated a statement on these talks in reply to a Question from the hon. Gentleman the Member for Shrewsbury (Sir J. Langford-Holt) on 6th June. I have nothing to add to it.—[Vol. 747, c. 790–1.]

Mr. Dewar

Can my right hon. Friend tell the House whether it was indicated to the Prime Minister by the King of Saudi Arabia that he was prepared to support and guarantee a broadly based Administration for the South Arabian Federation, and if so, what limits he put on the definition of the term "broadly based"?

Mr. Brown

I am certain that the King of Saudi Arabia, like us and many others, would like to see a broadly based Government in South Arabia. I am certain that he would like to see it introduced as soon as possible. The King put no limit on this, neither do we. What we are trying to bring about is a Government whose composition includes all the various strains of South Arabian nationalism.

Mr. Moyle

Can my right hon. Friend tell the House whether His Majesty sought any undertakings from Her Majesty's Government about the military protection of the South Arabian Federation after independence, and whether any undertakings were offered?

Mr. Brown

I am sure that my hon. Friend understands that talks of this nature cannot go on unless they are regarded as confidential, but my hon. Friend would not be far away if he thought that some of these things were discussed.

Mr. Stratton Mills

Cannot the right hon. Gentleman go a little further? Did not King Faisal make it clear that in his view the policy of Her Majesty's Government in leaving the South Arabian Federation defenceless was total madness, and did he not emphasise the grave danger of external attack?

Mr. Brown

If I were to answer that question it would be a breach of the confidentiality of the talks.

Lord Balniel

Does not the right hon. Gentleman recollect that last week the Prime Minister said that King Faisal does not see eye to eye with the Government on the question of South Arabian policy? What is the difference? Does it lie in the fact that the Saudi Arabian Government are extremely concerned about the launching of the South Arabian Federation, on independence, without any proper security against external aggression?

Mr. Brown

There is no evidence that King Faisal of Saudi Arabia saw eye to eye with the last Government either. I have not the slightest intention of being drawn into a discussion of what passed between us in our talks.

Forward to