§ Q1. Mr. Roseasked the Prime Minister whether he will seek to arrange a conference of European Heads of State on the subject of human rights.
§ The Prime Minister (Mr. Edward Heath)No, Sir. There are already many opportunities for international discussions of Human Rights. A Parliamentary Conference on Human Rights is to be held under the auspices of the Council of Europe in Vienna next October.
§ Mr. RoseDoes the Prime Minister accept that if the concept of a European Europe is to mean anything at all, it must be a free and democratic Europe, and does he not agree that from the Pyrenees to the Parthenon, from Latvia to Leningrad, political, religious and ethnic minorities are being persecuted in parts of Europe? Does he not think that he should take the initiative in view of M. Pompidou's decision last week to send Basque refugees away from the Basque area of France and President Podgorny's attitude on the continued show trials which are being conducted in the Soviet Union?
§ The Prime MinisterThe hon. Gentleman knows that certain countries are not covered by the European Convention of Human Rights, for reasons which he indicated. Both my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I took up the question of Soviet Jews with Mr. Gromyko when he was in this country last October, as, indeed, did the previous Administration in their period of office. Since then we have taken whatever opportunities have been offered us, including those at the United Nations, to make representations of a general character on this subject. I am prepared to look into the other questions which the hon. Member raised.
§ Mr. WaddingtonWould my right hon. Friend bear in mind that some of us find it difficult to square the genuine and obvious interest shown by the hon. Member for Manchester, Blackley (Mr. Rose) in human rights with his reluctance to support the Government in their attempts to honour the universal Declaration on Human Rights, by stopping a system which obliges people to join organisations against their will?
§ The Prime MinisterMy hon. Friend's point is a matter for him to sort out with the hon. Gentleman. On human rights in general, Her Majesty's Government have always given this matter very strong support.