HL Deb 04 May 1967 vol 282 cc1073-4

3.11 p.m.

LORD COLYTON

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, although they do not recognise the republican Government of the Yemen, they will make it clear that they will not under any circumstances recognise the purported extension of the off-shore territorial limits of the Yemen to twelve miles, and that they will take all necessary action to avoid any interference by the republican Yemeni authorities with the British territories of Kamaran and Perim.]

LORD BESWICK

My Lords, since Her Majesty's Government are not in relations with the Yemeni republican authorities the question of recognising any extension of Yemeni territorial waters does not arise. I can assure the noble Lord that Her Majesty's Government will take any action necessary to prevent interference by the Yemeni authorities with the islands of Kamaran and Perim.

LORD COLYTON

My Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for his reply, may I ask whether he is aware that the remark made, evidently in an unguarded moment, in New York recently by Mr. Makkawi, the FLOSY leader, to the effect that it is their intention, once the British leave, to set up a Socialist Republic in South Arabia, and use their strategic position to interfere with so-called imperialist Anglo-American shipping and also with Israeli shipping? May I ask him whether there is any indication that the proposed extension of Yemeni territorial waters to 12 miles forms part of these designs against Israel?

LORD BESWICK

My Lords, first of all, what Mr. Makkawi may have said about what he intends to do would, I should have thought, be going beyond the Question on the Order Paper. It is more a matter of wishful thinking on Mr. Makkawi's part. However, I will not comment further on that. As to the second part of the noble Lord's question, the fact is that the extension of any territorial waters, or the declared extension of any territorial waters, cannot affect the status of islands which belong to or are dependencies of another country and which are within the additional area of sea now claimed. So far as access to the Red Sea is concerned, this is guaranteed by international convention, and we should seek to ensure that that convention is observed.

LORD SEGAL

My Lords, would my noble friend rule out the advisability of a naval patrol of the Straits of Perim, similar to that of the Straits of Mozambique, in order to protect the integrity of these offshore islands?

LORD BESWICK

My Lords, I rather imagine that my noble friend is exaggerating the potentiality of the Yemeni authorities.