Middle East

HC Deb 18 December 1985 vol 89 cc290-2

7. 7. Mr. Latham

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a further statement on the peace process in the middle east.

15. Mr. Temple-Morris

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress being made towards peace in the middle east.

Mr. Renton

We shall continue to support all realistic efforts towards a negotiated settlement of the Arab-Israeli dispute leading to a just and comprehensive peace. It is encouraging that both King Hussein and Mr. Peres have spoken of the possibility of an international framework for peace negotiations.

Mr. Latham

Will not the welcome visit to this country next month of Mr. Peres greatly strengthen British-Israeli relations, and thereby improve our standing in the peace process negotiations? Will my hon. Friend take the opportunity to improve the atmosphere in advance of the meeting by announcing that the practice by which the Foreign Office countersigns Arab trade boycott documents will be dropped immediately?

Mr. Renton

I agree with my hon. Friend in welcoming Mr. Peres' visit to this country next month. It should be an important step in the development of bilateral relations between this country and Israel. On the practice of authentication, which is a standard legal procedure, it does not imply in any way approval of the contents of the documents, because our opposition to the Arab boycott is well known. Furthermore, the vast majority of British firms use the Arab-British chamber of commerce for that purpose.

Mr. Temple-Morris

Does my hon. Friend agree that following the recent Geneva summit, where we hope greater understanding was reached on the question of regional conflicts—I repeat the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Westbury (Mr. Walters)—the only realistic way towards peace in the middle east is through an international conference, the results of which must be guaranteed by both the United States of America and the Soviet Union?

Mr. Renton

My right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary has already commented on an international conference in answer to an earlier question. We have never opposed the principle of an international conference, but we want to see that its framework is properly set up and its agenda well drawn so that it has a chance to succeed and to reach positive conclusions. The framework of the conference at present, which includes who should be represented at it, and how it should reach its decisions, or whether it should be merely for discussions, is one of the main subjects under discussion in the middle east at present.

Mr. Cartwright

Will the Minister confirm that there cannot be any lasting settlement in the middle east which does not recognise the simple fact that the Palestinians are just as entitled to a national homeland as any other people on the face of the earth? Will he take every opportunity of making that simple fact clear in his contacts with the Governments of the United States of America and Israel?

Mr. Renton

We have always maintained the right of the Palestinians to self-determination, and we are concerned about their present conditions in some of the occupied territories. I noted some of them myself when I went to the Gaza Strip at the end of last week. I expressed my deep concern to many leading Israelis about the economic conditions and the difficulties of Palestinians in moving towards self-sufficiency.

Mr. Deakins

What is the Government's attitude to the future of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip?

Mr. Renton

As I have just said in reply to the hon. Member for Woolwich (Mr. Cartwright), we have always recognised the right of Palestinians to self-determination. We accept the principles that have been suggested, for example by King Hussein, to the effect that a form of association with Jordan may be one possibility. However, at the end of the day it must be for the people who live in those lands with their Arab neighbours to work out the right association and framework for themselves.

Mr. Soames

When Mr. Peres comes here next month, will my hon. Friend ensure that he leaves in no doubt the grave anxiety that many of us have about the continuing colonisation of the West Bank?

Mr. Renton

I understand what my hon. Friend says. It fits in with the reply that I have just given to Opposition Members. On my visit to Jerusalem a few days ago I took the opportunity to make clear the anxiety that was expressed to me by leading Palestinians in Jerusalem about the extremely difficult economic conditions, which I saw in Gaza, that many Palestinians suffer at present.

Mr. Janner

Reverting to the Government's authentication of Arab boycott documents, does the Minister not understand that what he calls a standard legal procedure, which is used to justify or in any way to place a seal of approval on an unacceptable practice—in this case, a restriction on the freedom of trade—is unacceptable, if not illegal? Was that not made plain to him when he recently visited Israel?

Mr. Renton

On the hon. and learned Gentleman's second point, the matter was not once raised with me while I was in Israel. On his first point, I should tell him that all that happens is the authentication of signatures. It does not imply approval of the documents' contents or of the boycott. Our opposition to the boycott is well known.

Mr. Baldry

Does my hon. Friend agree that the best chance for an international conference to succeed would be if it was held under the auspices of the United Nations? Will the Government use their position as a member of the Security Council to seek opportunities to initiate moves in the United Nations towards long-term peace in the middle east?

Mr. Renton

Much as I share my hon. Friend's desire for moves towards long-term peace in the middle east, I am not certain that it is for Britain at this stage to take the initiative in the United Nations for bringing about such a conference. That must rest, above all, with the parties to the dispute in the middle east. Furthermore, I am not wholly convinced that a conference at the United Nations, with many nations attending, would be successful. It is not always the case that the more people who are at a conference, the greater is its chance of success. Often, it is the other way round.