§ 27. Mr. Peter Archerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy regarding raising at the United Nations, as matters of international concern, conduct by national Governments which discloses a consistent pattern of violation of human rights.
§ Mr. AmeryWe take the initiative in raising these matters only when we are directly involved, when we have adequate evidence and when we are satisfied that our action will benefit the victims of the violations in question.
§ Mr. ArcherDoes that mean that the Government are losing interest in human rights? Even given that somewhat guarded formula, may I ask how the right hon. Gentleman reconciles it with the reply given by his hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State on 23rd October, that political detainees in Indonesia are a matter for the internal affairs of the Indonesians?
§ Mr. AmeryIt would not be fair to say that we are losing interest. As the 907 House will be aware, in the General Assembly my right hon. Friend recently raised the question of the Ugandan Asians. We have also pledged support in the United Nations for the United States initiative about the treatment of Jews in the Soviet Union. Our experience is that there is not a great deal to be gained and perhaps, sometimes, something to be lost by raising individual cases.
§ Sir Gilbert LongdenWhat have Her Majesty's Government done at the United Nations about those people in Uganda, such as the Chief Justice and the Vice-Chancellor of the University, who have simply disappeared?
§ Mr. AmeryMy right hon. Friend has spoken on the subject of Asians in Uganda. We have very little hard information about what else has been happening, though we share the anxiety expressed by my hon. Friend.