§ 4.0 p.m.
THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (THE MARQUESS OF READING)My Lords, with the permission of the House, I should like to repeat to your Lordships a Statement which has been made by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State in another place in regard to the meeting which he has just been attending in Rome. Where the personal pronoun "I" is used in the Statement it refers, of course, to my right honourable friend. The Statement is as follows:
"The House may like to have an account of the Rome meetings in which I have just taken part. I shall deal today only with the political aspects. My right honourable friend the Prime Minister will speak of the defence aspects in the debate on Thursday.
"The North Atlantic Council, at their meeting in Ottawa in September, decided to hold more frequent meetings to exchange views and develop more effective unity of action.
"The meeting which I have just attended in Rome was the first of these regular meetings. Coming as it did barely two months after the previous meeting it was inevitably, as I myself described it, an intermediate meeting. It did, however, enable Ministers to take stock of the progress made over the whole North Atlantic Treaty 701 Organisation's wide field of activities, and discuss, inside and outside the Council, the many difficult problems with which we are faced.
"It was very fitting that the Council should meet at this time in Italy, a country which has so clearly demonstrated its firm adherence to our common ideals. I was very glad to have the opportunity to meet again and talk with Signor de Gasperi, and also to have personal discussions with several of the other Foreign Ministers present.
"The Council received reports from its agencies and special committees, both military and civil, on the progress of their work. Many of these were of a routine character, and I will not take up the time of the House in describing them.
"Perhaps the most difficult problem which now faces the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is to reconcile the defence requirements of the North Atlantic area with the political and economic capabilities of the countries concerned. The rearmament programme must be so devised as not to imperil our standard of life or democratic freedom. The Temporary Council Committee is at present engaged on this difficult task. The Chairman of that Committee, Mr. Harriman, informed the Council of the progress of the Committee's work to date. He explained that the Committee's final report and recommendations would be presented early in December for the consideration of member Governments. The Council will take decisions upon this report at its next session. The Council also had before it a report on the readiness and effectiveness of North Atlantic Treaty forces, and heard a statement by General Eisenhower.
"The other main subject before the Council was Germany.
"Before the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Rome Mr. Acheson, M. Schuman and I had a useful and successful meeting in Paris with Dr. Adenauer, the Chancellor and Foreign Minister of the German Federal Republic. Besides reviewing problems of common concern to our 702 four Governments, we were able to give provisional approval to the draft of a General Agreement to be concluded between us to establish the main principles of our future relationships. This Agreement will enter into force when a number of other related conventions covering detailed matters arising out of the proposed new relationship with Germany are concluded, together with a proposed treaty to establish a European Defence Community. The Ministers agreed that discussions should continue in Germany between the High Commissioners and the Federal Government on these related conventions so that they can be completed as rapidly as possible.
"At the meeting with Dr. Adenauer we all agreed that an essential aim of the common policy of the four Governments was a freely negotiated peace settlement for the whole of Germany. We further agreed that the final determination of the boundaries of Germany must await such a settlement. It will be agreed that these proposed agreements establishing a new relationship with Germany are essential steps to the achievement of our common aim, a unified Germany integrated within the European community.
"When we met in Rome the North Atlantic Council was given an account of these discussions with Dr. Adenauer, and of the present position of the negotiations to establish a new relationship with the German Federal Republic.
"The Council also received from the French Foreign Minister a report on the state of negotiations in Paris for the establishment of a European defence community. The Paris Conference has not completed its report, and the subject was accordingly not discussed in substance by the Council, which confined itself to adopting a resolution expressing the hope that the Paris Conference would conclude its activities at the earliest possible moment, so that its final report could be considered by the Council at its next meeting. That meeting will take place in Lisbon early in February. We are grateful to the Portuguese Government for their generous offer of hospitality which makes this arrangement possible."
§ 4.6 p.m.
§ VISCOUNT JOWITTMy Lords, I am grateful to the noble Marquess for making his Statement; and, of course, so far as meeting places are concerned, such as Italy in this instance and Lisbon next year, we have no complaint. But I hope that it is clear that Parliament here, and no other Assembly, should be kept in the closest possible touch in regard to all these matters. I am a little frightened lest Parliament at Westminster may be ousted by a parliament at Strasbourg or somewhere else, and I think the noble Marquess will agree that early in the New Year, when the House reassembles, we must have an opportunity to go fully into all these matters. Perhaps Lord Reading will convey that request to the noble Marquess the Leader of the House, who, I am sure, will agree that we must keep in the closest possible touch in regard to these important meetings.
THE MARQUESS OF READINGMy Lords, in reply to the noble and learned Viscount may I say that we shall be very glad indeed to keep in touch in this way, and I have no doubt that it will be perfectly easy, through the ordinary channels, to arrange a discussion when the House reassembles.