HC Deb 13 October 1969 vol 788 cc26-7
31. Mr. Hooley

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why Her Majesty's Government abstained from supporting Security Council Resolution No. 269 of 1969 on 12th August, calling upon South Africa to withdraw its illegal administration from Namibia.

Mr. Foley

Our reasons for abstaining on Security Council Resolution No. 269 were explained by our representative in his statement to the Council on 11th August, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Mr. Hooley

Are not Her Majesty's Government adopting an extraordinary attitude in giving diplomatic, economic and moral support to a Government who are deliberately undermining Britain's sanctions against Rhodesia, whose policies and practices Her Majesty's Government pretend to condemn?

Mr. Foley

I question very strongly indeed the statement that we give diplomatic and moral support to the Government of South Africa. We abstained principally because the Resolution was clearly designed to pave the way for comprehensive mandatory economic sanctions against South Africa under Chapter VII. We considered such sanctions to be neither practicable nor likely to lead to a solution of the problem.

32. Mr. Hooley

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why Her Majesty's Government abstained from supporting Security Council Resolution No. 268 of 1969 on 28th July 1969, which strongly censored Portugal for unprovoked attacks on Zambia.

Mr. Foley

The Resolution in question referred to a specific incident which was alleged by the Zambian Government but denied by the Portuguese Government. We abstained because, in the absence of a joint or impartial investigation, we considered that the facts of the allegation were neither proven nor disproven.

Mr. Hooley

Is my hon. Friend aware that I and other hon. Members of this House have seen tangible and distinct evidence of unprovoked attacks against Zambian villages and that even the Portugese régime admits that such attacks have taken place? Is it not odd that we should fail to support a friendly Commonwealth Government against a disreputable Fascist Government?

Mr. Foley

Of course we deplore such incidents and we are aware that they have happened. We have said so on many occasions. In regard to this particular incident, we were not convinced that the facts either proved or disproved the case.