§ 36. Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will now make a statement on the talks with the illegal régime in Rhodesia.
§ Mr. GodberExploratory exchanges are continuing but I cannot at present add to the reply my right hon. Friend gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Dorset, South (Mr. Evelyn King) on 22nd March. —[Vol. 814, c. 15–16.]
§ Mr. HamiltonAs Mr. Smith has already said that the five principles are of no significance now and are irrelevant, and as Her Majesty's Government are committed to negotiating only on the basis of those five principles, what is the use of continuing with this meaningless charade? Will the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance that if these talks fail, as they are bound to do, we shall maintain the full ferocity of our sanctions policy?
§ Mr. GodberI cannot comment on Press reports of what Mr. Smith or anybody else has said. These exploratory discussions will continue as long as there is a possibility of progress being made.
§ Mr. FauldsWill the right hon. Gentleman tell us very simply whether the Government intend to stick to those five principles?
§ Mr. GodberYes, Sir.
§ Mr. Biggs-DavisonFirst, is my right hon. Friend sure that there are properly qualified people at our embassy in South Africa to deal with these very important talks? Second, is my right hon. Friend aware that Rhodesia is at the moment about the only State in Africa with nobody detained under emergency powers?
§ Mr. GodberWe have full confidence in our ambassador and his staff to deal with these matters. I cannot comment on the matter raised in the second half of my hon. Friend's supplementary question, as that takes us into a wider field.
§ Mr. FoleyDuring the period during which exploratory talks are taking place, are the Government continuing to report suspected breaches of sanctions to the United Nations?
§ Mr. GodberThese reports have been continuing up to the present.