Arab Countries (Hansard, 15 July 1974)

§ 19. Mr. Stanley
asked the Secretary of State for Trade what steps he is taking to secure major export orders from Arab countries.

§ Mr. Deakins
The British Overseas Trade Board is actively engaged in drawing the attention of industry to export opportunities in the Arab world wherever they arise and in implementing trade promotion programmes agreed with industry.

§ Mr. Stanley
Will the Minister explain why the efforts of French Ministers on behalf of French industry seem to be attended with so much more success than the efforts of his right hon. Friend in obtaining export orders from Arab Powers?

§ Mr. Deakins
I do not share the hon. Gentleman's pessimism about the future of our export effort to Arab countries in the Middle East, if that is what his question is directed to. British firms are engaged in consultations with Arab countries on a number of major projects and we shall continue to give every possible further encouragement as we believe that the Middle East is one of the major areas which can be an effective market for our exports of consumer and capital goods.

§ Mr. Richard Wainwright
In addition to the moves to which the Minister referred on promoting export trade with the Arab countries, will he request his right hon. Friend to attend to the problem of cash for industries in this country which can make the goods for Arab countries but which are desperately short of cash?

§ Mr. Deakins
As the hon. Gentleman knows, questions concerning liquidity of companies are basically for my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

§ Mr. Tebbit
In order to help our exporters, if the hon. Gentleman is too shy to publish a list of Arab countries which are too undemocratic to allow unrestricted trade will he at least go so far as to publish a list of Governments which are sufficiently democratic to allow unrestricted trade?

§ Mr. Deakins
The issue in this House has not been non-arms trade but has been arms trade. We trade in arms with a number of Arab countries, although at the time of the recent Middle East war we cut off arms supplies to some of those countries. This has nothing at all to do with the democracy or otherwise of the Governments concerned.