§ Q5. Mr. Skinnerasked the Prime Minister if he will seek to pay an official visit to Chile.
§ The Prime MinisterNo, Sir.
§ Mr. SkinnerWill my right hon. Friend be equally forthright on the matter of sending frigates and submarines to the new Chile régime? Will he stop speculation about this matter and reclaim them?
§ The Prime MinisterI do not propose to visit Chile. I think that most hon. Members would find it singularly distasteful were any of us to do so under present circumstances. [Interruption.] Many Ministers from the previous Government arranged to go there, and so did Herr Willy Brandt. I repeat that I do not propose to go to Chile. A fortnight ago tomorrow my right hon. Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary answered questions about a whole list of things that we have had to consider in relation to Chile, I hope to the fairly general satisfaction of my hon. Friend. On the question of naval vessels, I think that my right hon. Friend has Questions down to him tomorrow and will answer them.
§ Mr. MoneyIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that if he were to go to Chile he would find that a number of firms, some carrying famous East Anglia names, are making great profits for this country?
§ The Prime MinisterI have no doubt about that. Contracts were placed in most cases under the previous Chilian Government. But since I am not going to Chile the question does not arise. Anyone who wants to go to Chile would probably want to see who were in the Chilean gaols and what kind of democracy they stood for.
§ Mr. KinnockWould it be correct to assume that my right hon. Friend's decision is based partly on the fact that the current Chilean Government are in power because they marched there over the bodies of at least 15,000 harmless citizens? Does my right hon. Friend realise that the action that he and the Government are taking and are contemplating taking gained extra validity from reports received this morning that the junta is starting to consider an amnesty for opposition forces? This is the first signal of its conceding to the world-wide pressure that is growing against the Fascist régime.
§ The Prime MinisterI am not in a position to confirm the figure quoted by my hon. Friend but it is a fact that many people in this country from all parties, including the Leader of the Opposition and myself, interceded in the matter of certain death sentences, and as far as we know that intercession was listened to. 159 I cannot comment on newspaper reports about an amnesty for the political opponents of the régime in Chile, but if that is so it is a matter about which all parties can be highly satisfied and for which all parties can claim a lot of credit.