§ 2.45 p.m.
§ VISCOUNT SWINTONMy Lords I beg to ask a question of which I have given private notice—namely, whether His Majesty's Government can make a statement about the trusteeship provisions of the United Nations Charter.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR DOMINION AFFAIRS (VISCOUNT ADDISON)My Lords, you will doubtless be aware that my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs made a statement on this subject at the General Assembly of the United Nations on January 17. I welcome this opportunity of confirming that statement in this House. In ordinary circumstances a statement of policy on such an important subject would, of course, have been made to Parliament in the first place, but His Majesty's Government felt that it was so desirable to take the initiative, by assuring the United Nations of our earnest desire to see the international trusteeship system brought into operation at the earliest possible date, that they felt they would be rightly interpreting the wishes of this House by making such a statement without waiting for Parliament to reassemble. I am circulating the full text of the statement with the Official Report.
1036 I have nothing further to say as regards the mandated territories in the Middle East, except that His Highness the Emir Adbullah of Trans-Jordan has accepted an invitation to visit London in the near future, to discuss matters connected with the establishment of Trans-Jordan's independence.
As regards Tanganyika, Togoland and the Cameroons, which are to be placed under the international trusteeship system, the House will like to know that His Majesty's Government, in consultation with the Governors concerned, has already drawn up draft terms of trusteeship based, generally speaking, on the Mandates, but revised to bring them into conformity with the provisions of the United Nations Charter. Without prejudice to the ultimate interpretation of the phrase "States directly concerned," His Majesty's Government felt that there were certain States which, on any interpretation, must be regarded as directly concerned in the African Mandated Territories—namely, France, in respect of Togoland and the Cameroons, Belgium, in respect of Tanganyika, and the Union of South Africa, in respect of all three. The draft terms of trusteeship have accordingly been sent to the Governments of those States for their observations. Copies of the drafts have been sent, for information only, at this stage, to the Governments of China, the Soviet Union, the United States of America, and (in respect of Tanganyika) France. I feel, therefore, that His Majesty's Government have, in this manner, taken all the practicable steps which it is within their power to take at present. As soon as these drafts have been agreed upon by the States regarded as being in any event "directly concerned," and before they are submitted to the United Nations for approval, their terms will be communicated to Parliament and the local Legislative Councils.
Finally, there is one point which I should like to emphasize in regard to the status of the inhabitants of these territories. These territories have, for over twenty-five years, been under British administration, on behalf of the League of Nations, and will continue to be under British administration, on behalf of the United Nations. They are not British Colonies, and the inhabitants are not, therefore, as such, British subjects. They are, however, and will continue to be.
1037 "British protected persons," of exactly the same status as the inhabitants of any British Protectorate not under Mandate or trusteeship.
§ The statement referred to by Viscount Addison was as follows:
§ [Extract from a speech made by the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Bevin, on Thursday, January 17, 1946, to U.N.O.
§ "Another instrument which we welcome the Trusteeship Council. We made our contribution to its creation at San Francisco and in the Preparatory Commission. At the end of the last war the mandatory system was devised. We have given careful consideration to our own position in connexion with the Mandates for which we are responsible; and I take this opportunity of informing the Assembly of our intentions.
§ "We have decided to enter forthwith into negotiations for placing. Tanganyika, the Cameroons and Togoland under the trusteeship system. Preliminary negotiations have already started. I must make it clear that our willingness to place these territories under the trusteeship system naturally depends upon our being able to negotiate terms which in our view are generally satisfactory, and which achieve the objectives of the Charter and are in the best interests of the inhabitants of the territories concerned.
§ " These territories have been administered by us for over twenty-five years. We have fulfilled our obligations under the Covenant of the League and to the best of our ability administered and developed them in the interests of their inhabitants. We intend to continue this policy under the trusteeship system. We are ready to accept the obligation which will rest upon us as the administering authority under this new system. Now, if this is to be achieved, it is most important that the people of the territories themselves and the world at large should be left in no doubt that the continuity of administration will be maintained, until the ultimate objective of the trusteeship system, self-government or independence, as the case may be, is attained.
§ "Regarding Palestine, the Assembly is aware that an Anglo-American Committee of Enquiry is, at this very moment, examining the question of European Jewry, which is one of the most tragic 1038 episodes in the whole of history, and also the Palestine problem. We think it necessary to await the Committee's report before putting forward any proposals relating to the future of Palestine.
§ Regarding the future of Transjordan, it is the intention of His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom to take steps in the near future for establishing this territory as a sovereign independent State and for recognising its status as such. In these circumstances the question of Transjordan going under trusteeship does not, therefore, arise."