§ 17. Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he is satisfied with the progress being made by the United Nations representative in arranging for the act of free choice in West Irian.
§ 41. Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made by the United Nations representative in making arrangements for the act of free choice in West Irian; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Goronwy Roberts)As my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State explained in reply to the hon. Member for Chigwell (Mr. Biggs-Davison) on 24th March, the arrangements for the act of free choice in West Irian are the responsibility of the Government of Indonesia. In due course, the United Nations Secretary-General is to report to the General Assembly on the arrangements which are made.—[Vol. 780, c. 200–1.]
§ Mr. HooleyBut would my right hon. Friend not agree that this was and still is an important experiment under the aegis of the United Nations in transferring a colonial territory from its former status either to independence or to becoming part of another State? Are the Government entirely satisfied that the United Nations is exercising its authority to the fullest and most helpful extent possible?
§ Mr. RobertsThe arrangements which the United Nations approved and to which we were party, with other members of the organisation, were that the two Governments concerned—those of Indonesia and the Netherlands—should come together to arrange for an act of free choice. The Secretary-General was then asked to advise, assist and participate in the preparation of this act and its operation. He will in due course be reporting, in the sense that my hon. Friend has asked this afternoon, to the General Assembly; at that point, no doubt, we shall have our own comments to make, if necessary.
§ Mr. DalyellIn the meantime, may we have an assurance that the Foreign Office will resist following the lead of the Press in jumping to the conclusion that the West Irianese rebels are in the right and that the Indonesian Government in Djakarta are necessarily wrong?
§ Mr. RobertsI see no evidence to lead one to suppose that there is any doubt about the position in West Irian. In any case, the Secretary-General's representative is at present on the ground and has been there since August 1968. If there were any doubts about the position or the good intentions of the Indonesian Government in this matter, no doubt he would have reported to the Secretary-General before now.
§ Mr. Biggs-DavisonDid not President Sukarno say that Indonesia would not allow the right of free choice to be exercised? What is the attitude of General Suharto? Is it not clear that these people are not Indonesians but Melanesians?
§ Mr. RobertsNevertheless, preparations for the act of free choice are going ahead in conditions which are suitable for this territory. We have no involvement in, no commitment to, no responsibility for this territory, but we do stand ready to act on any reports which the Secretary-General makes on the preparations and the operation of the act.