§ 38. Mr. Juddasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what representations he has made to the Japanese Government about the chrome at present being purchased by Japanese firms from Rhodesia and re-exported to the United States; and whether he will name the firms concerned.
§ Mr. Goronwy RobertsNone, Sir. I am informed that the United States does not import chrome of Rhodesian origin from Japan.
§ Mr. JuddWould not my hon. Friend agree that it is high time we stopped relying on Sunday newspapers and that the Government should publish their own black list of firms undermining sanctions policy and take all appropriate action to bring pressure to bear?
§ Mr. RobertsI assure my hon. Friend that we do not get our information entirely from Sunday newspapers. [HON. MEMBERS: "Not entirely?"] I am informed—[Interruption.] The facts as we have ascertained them are that the United 30 States does not import chrome of Rhodesian origin from Japan. That is what my hon. Friend asked his Question about.
§ 39. Mr. Juddasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how much oil he now estimates has reached Rhodesia from Algeria and other sources since the imposition of mandatory sanctions; what are the sources other than Algeria; how much of this oil has come through Total and how much through other companies; what are the other companies; what proposals Her Majesty's Government is now putting forward for the internationalisation of sanction supervision; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Goronwy RobertsI have no information that oil is reaching Rhodesia from Algeria and I should prefer to say nothing which might reveal the extent of our knowledge of the source of the oil currently reaching Rhodesia. As regards the last part of the Question, this is of course one of the matters now being considered by the Security Council in its deliberations on Rhodesia.
§ Mr. JuddIs my hon. Friend not aware that we are fed up with seeing our own expensive efforts undermined by the connivance of Governments such as the French at sanction-breaking and we believe there must be effective international machinery soon introduced to deal with the problem? What are we to propose?
§ Mr. RobertsI am afraid my hon. Friend is assuming things which have not been proved. We are now engaged in the United Nations in trying to arrange for stricter security measures aimed at the control of this situation and at preventing oil from reaching Rhodesia.
§ Sir G. NabarroAs Rhodesia is getting all the oil supplies she needs and is selling practically the whole of her chrome output, could not the hon. Gentleman confide in the House where her markets really are for chrome and from where she is getting oil? Is not the whole of the Government's policy a leaky colander?
§ Mr. RobertsI would remind the hon. Gentleman that oil and petrol are still rationed in Rhodesia. As to the progress of Rhodesian trade, it shows a very distinct drop on the past year or two.