HL Deb 23 July 1957 vol 205 cc62-7

4.2 p.m.

THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (THE EARL OF GOSFORD)

My Lords, with your Lordships' permission, I will intervene at this stage to make a statement similar to that being made in another place about the further developments in the situation in central Oman. I have received little further information about the situation on the ground, but the military preparations to which I referred yesterday have continued.

It will perhaps help your Lordships to form a judgment on these matters if I say something about the terrain, conditions and climate of the area in which the disturbances have taken place. The central Oman is a mountainous area, the highest mountains rising to 9,000 feet. It is surrounded by desert where the present temperatures are up to 120 degrees. There is no front line but rather a constantly shifting pattern of tribal allegiances and defections with minor armed skirmishes. There is no question, therefore, of large-scale operations by British troops on the ground.

As I said yesterday, discretion has been given to our local military authorities to take any necessary action on their own initiative within certain limits. So far as the Royal Air Force is concerned this includes leaflet dropping on behalf of the Sultan together with action against certain forts in the area held by dissident tribesmen. These forts, manned by tribesmen equipped with modern arms smuggled in from outside the country, are capable of intimidating, both loyal and wavering tribes. I would emphasise that action has been authorised only against certain military targets. The real issue is not the scale of the military operations but the fact that Her Majesty's Government intend to give full support to the Sultan.

4.5 p.m.

VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGH

My Lords, I am obliged to the noble Earl for giving us the statement. It seems essential to know a little more, in view of the last part of the statement—namely: The real issue is not the scale of the military operations but the fact that Her Majesty's Government intend to give full support to the Sultan. With that I daresay a great many people will have sympathy, but it seems that we ought to ask certain questions of the Government. In the first place, one can understand their desiring to do what they can to assist a friendly Head of a State to maintain his status quo, if they have a Treaty of Friendship. But is it quite certain that this present conflict is engineered from outside his territory? Is this a piece of external aggression in relation to sovereign territory? If that is the Government's view and if they have evidence of it, where does the aggression come from? Is it Saudi Arabia? If the Government have evidence and know that that is so, is it not better to say so?

If it is Saudi Arabia, I would ask whether, in view of the large interests of the United States in Saudi Arabia and the close relationship that they have recently established, and having regard to President Eisenhower's view as to the maintenance of the balance of power in the Middle East, the Government have approached, or intend to approach, the American Government in order that they may use their influence with Saudi Arabia—if it is Saudi Arabia which is behind this aggression—to prevent this conflict from being either continued or allowed to arise again in the future. If, in the view of Her Majesty's Government, in line with a Treaty of Friendship although it is not a military obligation, and having regard to their general relationships with other sheikhs in the area, it is essential to give some support to the maintenance of the status quo of a friendly Power in the manner which they have announced to Parliament, have they notified, or do they intend to notify, the United Nations of the position and of their action?

THE EARL OF GOSFORD

My Lords. I will try to answer the noble Viscount's questions. As yet we have no proof as to the engineering of this uprising from outside. The only proof that we have is that the rebels have modern arms which they could not have produced themselves; they must have come from outside. But we have no definite proof as to their exact origin as yet.

VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGH

My Lords, that statement having been made, I take it that somebody has had a chance to examine portions of the armament. Are they American, or Czech, or Russian? That is rather important.

THE EARL OF GOSFORD

My Lords, unfortunately we have not had the chance to; in fact, that information is not available yet. If I remember aright, we have proof that the arms they have are automatics and mines. We know that they are automatic because they have been heard, but we have not actually captured one yet. We know that they are mines because vehicles have been blown up by them; but we have not captured a mine. These two armaments could not have been manufactured by the rebels themselves. As regards Saudi Arabia, I cannot answer the noble Viscount. As I say, we have not yet any proof as to where this rebellion is engineered from. The United States Government has been kept fully informed—

VISCOUNT STANSGATE

As in Suez?

THE EARL OF GOSFORD

—and the State Department, if I remember aright—and if your Lordships have seen the midday papers you will have seen this—gave a Press interview in which the particular statement was made that they were very pleased at the way that they were kept informed. So far no official notification has been made to the United Nations.

VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGH

Is that being considered—whether that should not be done in regard to our proposed entry into an independent State, however good the reasons may be?

THE EARL OF GOSFORD

I do not think there is any necessity at the moment to go to the United Nations. I will refresh your Lordships' memory as to the statement I made yesterday, which was that we have been asked by the Sultan to go to his aid, and that we had decided to do so in exactly the same way as the Government of the noble Lords opposite went to the same Sultan's aid in 1930. I do not think there is any question of our informing the United Nations. We have merely been asked for help; and help we are giving.

VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGH

My Lords. I was well aware of the precedent of 1930, but of course a great many changes have taken place in international organisation, and in the conception of action under international law and the maintenance of international relationships. In view of that, I should have thought some consideration might have been given to the matter.

VISCOUNT STANSGATE

My Lords, it is quite clear that what has happened is that we have invaded Oman.

SEVERAL NOBLE LORDS

No, no.

VISCOUNT STANSGATE

You can invade a country from the air.

THE EARL OF GOSFORD

I cannot allow the noble Viscount to get away with that remark. We have been invited into Oman by the ruler of the country to go to his aid.

VISCOUNT STANSGATE

At the invitation of the ruler we have invaded Oman from the air, and what the noble Earl called "reconnaissance" planes yesterday were, in fact, bombing planes. One question I should like to ask on that matter is, how are these bombing planes equipped? I do not mean in detail: but do they have any atomic equipment, for example? Are they the latest type of plane? That is my first question. The second question I want to put is this. Do the Government assert that under international law they have the right, on the invitation of a ruler of an independent country, to send an invading force to put down a rising?

THE EARL OF HOME

My Lords, would the noble Viscount allow me to intervene? If, in fact, as he says, we are taking this sort of action, which he describes as invasion, then we are taking exactly the same view as his Government, when he was Secretary of State for India, took in 1930. We are doing exactly the same. So far as the planes are concerned, they are not bombers at all. Perhaps the noble Lord would wait for further information, which we have not yet got; we may have it in a few days. It may be that this tribal incident will fizzle out.

VISCOUNT STANSGATE

My Lords, as regards 1930. I would point out that there was the Treaty of 1763 and a lot of other things of that kind. I am not attacking this from a Party point of view, or attacking the Conservatve Party as a Party. I am attacking the Government, which does not seem to have heard that there is a United Nations. I ask the question, is this bombing taking place? I understood from the statement that they were bombing forts. Is that true? Has any bombing taken place?

THE EARL OF GOSFORD

There is no bombing taking place. My statement, in fact, says, includes leaflet dropping…together with action against certain forts in the area…". No bombs are being used.

VISCOUNT STANSGATE

What are you using on the forts?

THE EARL OF GOSFORD

Permission has been given to the local military authorities to use aircraft to attack these forts. They will be, in fact, attacked with rockets and machine-gun fire, if they are attacked at all, but they have not yet been attacked.

VISCOUNT STANSGATE

We are satisfied to know that the invasion of Oman is being carried out by the most modern scientific methods. My second point has not been answered. Do the Government assert that, under international law, on the invitation of a ruler of an independent State they have the right to send armed forces to invade his country?

THE EARL OF GOSFORD

We have been invited by the ruler, who is our friend, and we have accepted the invitation, as all friends should do if they are asked by a friend for help.

VISCOUNT STANSGATE

I will not persist, but it is obvious that I have had no answer to my question. There was a statement made by the Attorney-General in the case of Hungary, saying that this principle did not exist and such action was against international law. I will ask the Leader of the House. Do the Government assert that, apart from treaties, on the invitation of a ruler of an independent State any other State has the right to send arms to his support?

THE EARL OF HOME

In this particular case, we have decided that we have the right to reply and respond to the invitation of the Sultan, and we have done so. If the noble Viscount wishes to go further into international law, perhaps he would put a Question down.

VISCOUNT STANSGATE

I have asked the question already, and I am not at all surprised, but I am disappointed, to have received no reply.