HC Deb 20 November 1972 vol 846 cc904-5
25. Mr. McNamara

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in the ministerial talks with the Icelandic Government on the imposition of 50-mile limit about Iceland.

41. Mr. James Johnson

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement regarding the proposed talks at ministerial level with Iceland upon the fishing limits dispute.

Mr. Amery

A delegation led by my noble Friend Lady Tweedsmuir and including representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and of the fishing industry itself will travel to Reykjavik on 26th November for meetings with Icelandic Ministers.

Mr. McNamara

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that it is welcome news to know that this meeting is about to take place? How long does he expect the meeting will take, and what do he and his Department regard as the main bone of contention about which agreement has to be reached?

Mr. Amery

It would be a mistake on my part to try to guess either the duration or the agenda of the negotiations. I would rather leave that to the parties concerned.

Mr. Johnson

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that, for the time being at least, there is a mood of what I term qualified optimism in the deep sea fleet in Hull about the outcome of the talks? First, we are having good catches and, secondly, the Icelanders have been behaving themselves, in that they have not been cutting warps as in the past. Will he assure the House that this will not be a performance in semantics? Does he believe that because of the composition of the Icelandic team—they now have the Minister of Education as well as the Minister for Fisheries on their team—both sides will attempt to reach a decision and not just talk, as has happened over the past few months?

Mr. Amery

We shall go into the talks in a spirit of good will and with a sincere desire to arrive at agreement. As at present advised, we have no intention of adopting towards Iceland the kind of naval strategy which the Leader of the Opposition recommended towards Uganda.

Mr. Laurance Reed

In the discussions, what account is the Foreign Office taking of the fact that there is already a large measure of international support for the view that coastal States should enjoy preferential or exclusive rights to resources overlying their continental shelves?

Mr. Amery

These matters will have to come up in the discussions and agenda of the Governments of the two countries.

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