Latin America (Hansard, 11 July 1979)

§ Mr. Flannery
asked the Lord Privy Seal if he has any plans to visit Latin America.

§ Mr. Ridley
My right hon. Friend has no such plans at present. I hope shortly to visit the Falkland Islands and a number of countries in Latin America.

§ Mr. Flannery
Will the Minister assure the House that there is no intention on the part of the Government to send an ambassador to Chile? Does he remember the brutal torture of Dr Sheila Cassidy? Is he aware of the thousands of people who have disappeared, many of whom are dead, and that many such cases are known to hon. Members? Will he assure us that the policy of the Labour Government on the appointment of ambassadors will continue?

§ Mr. Ridley
We are considering our relationship with Chile. On the other hand, whether we have ambassadors in various countries does not imply condonation or condemnation of a regime. After all, we have an ambassador in Vietnam.

§ Mr. Neubert
Does my hon. Friend agree that despite South America's enormous economic potential and immense good will towards the British that area is inexplicably neglected by us? Will he, on his tour, be seeking to arouse us from our indifference? Does he think, for example—to take last night's television programme as an illustration—that the fact that our man in Caracas operates the British embassy from a suite of offices in a tower block represents a sufficient commitment to that oil-rich country?

§ Mr. Ridley
I shall do everything that I can, as will my right hon. and hon. Friends, to improve relations between this country and Latin American countries, but that must be contained within the need to keep public expenditure under control.

§ Mr. Rowlands
Does the Minister realise that if we sent an ambassador to Chile it would be seen and interpreted by the Chilean regime as a significant change of policy? Does he realise that the policy of the Labour Government was supported by democratic opinion in Chile, both Right and Left, as well as the Church? Will the Minister confirm that he will maintain the arms embargo on the Chilean regime?

§ Mr. Ridley
If the Government of the hon. Gentleman considered the withdrawal of ambassadors and the need to express political disapproval, why did they not withdraw our ambassador from Vietnam?