TEHERAN (Hansard, 16 May 1978)

§ 56. Mr. Litterick
asked the Prime Minister if he will seek to visit Teheran in the near future.

§ The Prime Minister (Mr. James Callaghan)
I have at present no plans to visit Iran.

§ Mr. Litterick
Is my right hon. Friend aware that the United Arab Emirates have tripled their expenditure on armaments during the last year and that this has taken place in response to what they regard as the rapid military build-up of Saudi Arabia and Iran, both of which are being heavily supplied with armaments by the United Kingdom? Therefore, will my right hon. Friend try to find a way of conveying to the Shah of Iran—and to this House—that there must be some limit to the quantity of arms that we are prepared to supply to both Iran and Saudi Arabia because we wish to avoid the repetition in the Gulf of the shambles that we and other great Powers have created in the Eastern Mediterranean?

§ The Prime Minister
The expenditure on arms in almost every country is too high at present, and especially in the developing countries. That is one reason why I hope that the United Nations disarmament conference will be able to take steps to reverse that trend. I would point out to my hon. Friend that Iran has on her northern border a most powerful and heavily armed neighbour and that there has been a recent uprising in her Eastern neighbour. She is, therefore, properly concerned with her own security. However, I assure the House that we shall consider on its merits every proposal made for the sale of arms.

§ Mr. Walters
Should the Prime Minister have the opportunity of visiting Iran, will he point out how much we and the Western world appreciate the important part that that country is playing in maintaining stability in the area? Will he also point out how much we value its important trade relations with Britain?

§ The Prime Minister
The policies of the Shah of Iran are intended to produce greater stability in the area in which it is such a powerful component. Of course, Iran is the most important trading partner we have in Asia, and we must also take 237 that factor into account, too. But I hope that we shall be able to have good discussions with the Shah about a number of matters that are of concern, I know, to him in his process of liberalisation which has gone so far and which, I believe, he wishes to carry further. I should like also to express my appreciation of the help that he has given us in our policies in relation, for example, to the Middle East and Rhodesia.

§ Mr. Newens
But in view of the flagrant abuses of human rights and the denials of elementary democracy in Iran, how can my right hon. Friend justify the continuation of the supply of huge quantities of arms to that country which are to be used primarily in suppressing the attempts of the people of Iran to obtain similar rights to those which we demand for ourselves in this country?

§ The Prime Minister
I do not accept my hon. Friend's analysis. The arms that we are supplying are certainly not intended to work for internal suppression. They are intended for the reasons I gave in reply to the first supplementary question.
On human rights there is concern, as is well known, and that concern is felt inside Iran as well as outside. But it is a difficult process for a ruler such as the Shah, who has immense power, gradually to release that power and to encourage more liberalisation while at the same time maintaining a degree of order. I hope that he will be able to do so. Certainly, we would support him in both efforts—namely, to secure greater liberalisation but at the same time to secure continual progress in that country.