§ Q4. Mr. Townsendasked the Prime Minister if he has any plans to visit Southern Africa.
§ The Prime MinisterI have at present no plans to do so.
§ Mr. TownsendIn view of the Prime Minister's recent grim warning about Soviet imperialism in Southern Africa, how does he account for the remark of the Foreign Secretary to the House of Commons on 19th April that the Soviet Union had every right to be there?
§ The Prime MinisterThere is no disparity between our remarks. The Soviet Union is a super-Power and it has as much right as anybody else to send its diplomatic representatives anywhere in the world. What we object to is the introduction of armed forces in order to try to influence one side against the other. I do not wish to be offensive to the hon. Gentleman, but I think that nitpicking by seizing upon particular phrases from what is known to be the broad approach of Her Majesty's Government will not do any good.
§ Mr. John MendelsonWill the Prime Minister accept that there will be widespread support for the useful initiative of the five Ambassadors, including the British Ambassador, when they intervened recently with the Prime Minister of South Africa on the question of Namibia? Does my right hon. Friend agree that it might be the right time for him—either alone or, again, with the other four Powers—to bring home to the Government of South Africa the fact that one of the most essential contributions that they could make to improving the situation would be to give up their racialist policy and allow more equality to all people in that land?
§ The Prime MinisterI am obliged to my hon. Friend. The British views about this matter have been put both individually and, as my hon. Friend said, in conjunction with other ambassadors on a number of occasions to the South African Government, most recently on 7th April. Our exchanges have not, of course, been published, but I think that the requirements for a settlement which will meet international acceptance are well known. They were laid down in the Security Council resolution, and include territory-wide free elections, that those elections should be carried out under international supervision, and that all political parties, including the South West African People's Organisation, should be allowed to participate.
§ Mr. RifkindOn the question of international supervision, is the Prime Minister aware of reports that, while Mr. Vorster would be unwilling to have United Nations supervision of any elections in South West Africa, there are indications that he would be willing to consider supervision by the Western Powers in the Security Council? If that becomes an offer to the Western Powers, can the Prime Minister indicate what the British Government's attitude would be?
§ The Prime MinisterAt the moment that is a hypothetical question. Clearly, we should be willing to support any effort to ensure that the elections would be completely free and known to be so. I think that we must get the support of countries in Africa if we are to take part in this exercise, for suspicion breeds faster in that continent than almost anything else. I should not rule it out, but I think that I should have to make it a condition that there should be acquiescence in what was being done.