§ 3.37 p.m.
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (LORD CHALFONT)My Lords, with your Lordships' permission, I should like to repeat a Statement which is being made in another place by my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. The Statement is as follows:
"Four British ships are detained in the Great Bitter Lake together with several ships of other nationalities. There are 261 passengers and crew on board. I have seen reports in the Press that the United Arab Republic Foreign Minister has said that the Canal will remain closed so long as the Israelis are on the East Bank.
"The head of the United Arab Republic Interests Section in London has been summoned to the Foreign Office and told that it is intolerable that our ships should be detained in this way. We are working together with other Governments concerned and plans are being prepared for evacuation if necessary.
"Meanwhile, the Canadian Ambassador in Cairo who looks after British interests in the United Arab Republic, has told us that the passengers and crew on board the four ships are well. He is arranging for Consular officers of the Canadian Embassy and the British Interests Section to make contact with the ships. The shipping agents have told us that steps have been taken to provide the ships with food supplies." My Lords, that is the end of the Statement.
§ LORD BYERSMy Lords, may I thank the noble Lord very much for that helpful Statement, and also for the firmness of the protest which is being made by the Foreign Office to the United Arab Republic Interests Section in London? Would the Government consider asking the International Red Cross to assist in this matter in ensuring the safe passage of these people from the Canal by an overland route, if they so wish?
§ LORD CHALFONTMy Lords, we shall take all steps to see that the evacuation of the passengers is conducted safely and with due regard to all their problems and difficulties. I think we first need to see what the United Arab Republic authorities' reply is to our protest, and then we shall have to make a decision in the light of that reply and the reports of our Consular officers. We will certainly bear in mind the point made by the noble Lord.
§ LORD CARRINGTONMy Lords, I must apologise for not being here when the noble Lord began his Statement; he rather took me by surprise. He sent me a copy of the Statement, and I know what he said. Since this set of circumstances is entirely due to the closure of the Suez Canal, may I ask the noble Lord what steps Her Majesty's Government are going to take, in the light of the statement reported in this morning's newspapers that the U.A.R. do not intend to reopen the Suez Canal while the Israelis are on the other bank?
§ LORD CHALFONTMy Lords, I apologise to the noble Lord for making the Statement in his absence; it is an unfamiliar circumstance for me to take him off his guard. In reply to his question, may I say that I think the question of whether, and how, and when the Suez Canal will be reopened may not be entirely a matter for the United Arab Republic. I understand that there are ships sunk in the Canal, and that the Canal is physically blocked. However, if these obstructions can be removed, then I think we shall obviously take any statement of that sort made by the United Arab Republic authorities or anyone else in the light of the legal position of the Suez Canal, which is that it is an international waterway, open to all ships going about their peaceful business.
§ LORD BYERSMy Lords, in the meantime would the noble Lord register on behalf of the House how grateful we are to the Canadian authorities for the work which they are doing on our behalf?
§ LORD CHALFONTMy Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for that comment, and I shall see that it is represented in the proper quarters.
§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILLMy Lords, may I ask my noble friend whether it is possible at this stage to tell us more about the condition of the refugees?
§ LORD CHALFONTMy Lords, I am afraid that I cannot give my noble friend much more information about refugees at the moment. The refugee problem has always been a crucial one and an agonising one in the Middle East, and of course it has assumed greater proportions since the events of the last few weeks. We are keeping a very careful eye on this through the United Nations and other channels. I hope that we shall have a chance to discuss this whole problem later in your Lordships' House, but, of course, if any other information comes to us in the meantime I shall make it known to your Lordships and certainly to my noble friend.
§ LORD BYERSMy Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether he is aware that I have given Notice to the Government of a Motion to call attention to the World Refugee Problem with particular reference to the Middle East, which I believe is to be debated on June 28?
§ LORD CHALFONTMy Lords, I understand that this has been arranged through the usual channels. I shall look forward to giving all the information I can then. But I also undertake to give any other information that comes in in the meantime.
§ LORD OAKSHOTTMy Lords, can the noble Lord say anything about the related subject of British nationals, diplomatic and otherwise, in the various Arab countries, and what their fate is at the moment? As he will be aware, there is a good deal of anxiety in this country about their position at the present time.
§ LORD CHALFONTMy Lords, so far as the United Arab Republic is concerned there is a good deal of information about 1037 the evacuation of British nationals and of the diplomatic staff. Perhaps I can give the detailed information separately to the noble Lord, as it is very complicated and goes into a great many facts and figures. Generally speaking, I think your Lordships would like to know that we believe that everyone who wants to be evacuated from the United Arab Republic has been evacuated. The number of people who have left is much smaller than we had expected. We rather thought that there would be something of the order of 1,000 people wanting to come out, but in fact with the facilities that we have supplied we so far have news of only about 400. But we believe that these are all the people who wanted to leave, and we have provided facilities for them to do so. Again, if we learn anything further about this I shall, of course, let your Lordships know.
§ LORD OAKSHOTT. My Lords, are those remaining in reasonably comfortable circumstances, so far as the noble Lord knows?
§ LORD CHALFONT. My Lords, so far as I know, any remaining are at least remaining under their own will and volition, and therefore, we assume in reasonably comfortable conditions.
§ VICOUNT MASSEREENE AND FERRARDMy Lords, can the noble Lord say whether any steps are being taken to remove the obstructions in the Suez Canal?
§ LORD CHALFONTMy Lords, I cannot, I fear, give a very definite answer to that question at the moment. We are not quite clear what the position is. We have reports of obstructions in the Canal, and of course we have heard it reported that the United Arab Republic does not intend to reopen the Canal except under certain conditions. I think the position is somewhat confused at the moment, and it will have to become very much clearer before I can say what, if anything, we can do about clearing the obstructions.
§ LORD ILFORDMy Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether he can make any statement about the arrangements which Her Majesty's Government have made to receive these British subjects who have been expelled from the United Arab Republic?
§ LORD CHALFONTMy Lords, I think we are now beginning to go very wide of the original statement on the Suez Canal. But I can assure the noble Lord that when these people return they will be very carefully looked after, and the experience which they have been through will be very much in the front of our minds.