§ Q3. Mr. Hastingsasked the Prime Minister what steps he took at the recent Commonwealth Conference to establish a Commonwealth policy in respect of individual human rights and liberties.
§ The Prime MinisterI would refer the hon. Member to paragraph 36b of the communiqué on the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Meeting, which was placed in the Library of the House on 16th January. This will be paragraph 38 in the White Paper which will be published tomorrow.
§ Mr. HastingsDoes not the Prime Minister think it appropriate to take an initiative in this matter, and that rather than subject this country to criticism from the Commonwealth he should ask the Secretariat for an immediate report on the number of political prisoners held without trial not simply in Rhodesia but, for instance, in Tanzania—particularly Zanzibar—Uganda, and Zambia? Does not he think that this would make for a more balanced judgment of these matters?
§ The Prime MinisterI have referred to what was in the communiqué assented to by 28 Commonwealth Heads of Government or their respresentatives. If the hon. Gentleman is asking Her 207 Majesty's Government to take a further initiative, I can assure him that such an initiative would not be based on his conception of human rights as expressed in his previous supplementary question about Rhodesia.