HC Deb 10 February 1969 vol 777 cc870-1
23. Mr. John Fraser

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Common-wealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his policy on the implementation of recent recommendations of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe.

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Frederick Mulley)

The recommendations passed at the recent session of the Assembly will be considered in due course by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

Mr. Fraser

Will my right hon. Friend and the Foreign Office please come off the fence on this issue and stop equivocating? Is he not aware that the Council of Europe overwhelmingly called for suspension, as did the Labour Party Conference and the majority of back benchers on this side? Will he stop equivocating and say that he will support the call for suspension?

Mr. Mulley

The Question relates to the total recommendations, of which I think there were twelve, passed recently by the Assembly of the Council of Europe, and the appropriate procedure is to put them to the Council of Ministers. There is another Question on the Paper specifically on the recommendation about Greece and I should not, at this stage, anticipate that reply.

Mr. St. John-Stevas

I hope that the right hon. Gentleman will change his mind, since I was going to ask him, would he not recommend the Greek Government, as the best course, to make a voluntary withdrawal, not from the Council, but from the Assembly, to which, in any case, as they have no Parliament, they can send no Parliamentary delegation?

Mr. Mulley

I understand that no Parliamentary representatives from Greece have sought to take seats in the Assembly. The withdrawal, of course, is one of the points in the Assembly recommendation which will be considered in due course by the Council of Ministers.

Mr. Alan Lee Williams

Would my right hon. Friend agree that as the delegation to the Assembly is composed from both sides of this House, and that, with possibly just one abstention, the delegates voted as a whole for the suspension of Greece, this strengthens the Government's hand? Would he take firm action on it?

Mr. Mulley

There is no doubt that the overwhelming vote—94 for, 11 against, with 20 abstentions—was a very vigorous expression of view by the Assembly, which I imagine that all Ministers, when they deliberate on this, will bear very much in mind.

Mr. Peel

Will the Minister take note that some of us on this side think that on this issue the Government for once have not been equivocating but have made their position fairly clear, and that there was not an overwhelming vote for the suspension of Greece? I trust that he will look very carefully at the recommendation adopted by the Council of Europe. The matter is in the hands of the Council of Ministers, and I trust that they will use their common sense.

Mr. Mulley

I hope that the hon. Gentleman's adverse comments were not addressed to me, since I studiously sought to avoid expressing views about the suspension or the resolution.

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