HL Deb 08 July 1968 vol 294 cc640-3
LORD ROWLEY

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 what extent the United Nations and the World Health Organisation are co-operating in the bringing of food and medical aid to the Ibo region of Nigeria.]

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS (LORD SHEPHERD)

My Lords, Nigeria is a member of the United Nations and any approaches the Nigerian Government may have made to the United Nations and World Health Organisation on the question of relief is entirely a matter for them. The extent to which these and other organisations may take part in relief operations will, of course, be taken into account by the noble Lord, Lord Hunt, when he reports to the British Government about the whole relief situation and the best way we ourselves can help.

LORD ROWLEY

My Lords, in view of the statement made last week by Mr. Heinrich Jaggi, the chief delegate of the International Red Cross, that unless a massive airlift of foodstuffs and drugs was carried to Biafra within the next two months perhaps two million people, mostly women and children, might die of starvation, should not the United Nations organise an international relief operation? If so, would Her Majesty's Government indicate to the General Secretary, Mr. U Thant, that if this operation were organised within the framework of the United Nations Charter Her Majesty's Government would give the United Nations their fullest co-operation in the matter, so as to avert what might well be a holocaust of deaths and human suffering?

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, as my noble friend is aware, Nigeria is a member of the United Nations, and in the first instance it would be for them to approach the United Nations. I have not the slightest shadow of doubt that, if such an approach were mooted, the United Nations would be ready to respond.

LORD BROCKWAY

My Lords, may I ask my noble friend: is it not desirable that we should get above these legalistic considerations when 3,000 people are dying every day and one million people are expected to die in the next month? Is this not a world calamity and ought not the Security Council of the United Nations to be using both the World Health Organisation and the World Food Organisation to relieve it?

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, I believe that my noble friend intends to ask a Question later in the day. I beg him to remember that Nigeria is a sovereign country and we have to be very careful about attempting to impose a colonialistic approach on an independent country. It is for the Government of Nigeria to approach the United Nations and then, as I said, I have not the slightest shadow of doubt that the United Nations would respond.

LORD BROCKWAY

And let all the people die in the meantime.

LORD ROWLEY

My Lords, while appreciating the legalistic position, is there any reason why the United Nations, through their Secretary-General, should not offer to the Government of Nigeria to organise this great airlift, which would not be inconsistent with the independence recognised in Article 2(7) of the Charter?

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, certainly it would be open to the United Nations, as to any other country, to make offers of assistance to the Government of Nigeria. If such an offer were to be made by the United Nations organisations I am sure it would be considered with the greatest sympathy and urgency by the Federal Government.

BARONESS SUMMERSKILL

My Lords, as we are a powerful member of the World Health Organisation and as from time to time that organisation have offered their services to different nations, either to prevent certain diseases or to help the fight against them why cannot they offer their services in this case and why cannot we take the initiative?

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, there is another Question coming later and it might be easier to answer that supplementary then. But in the end it is the responsibility of the United Nations, if they should so wish, to make an approach, or the responsibility of the Federal Government, if they so wish, to approach the United Nations for assistance.

BARONESS SUMMERSKILL

My Lords, may I ask my noble friend why cannot we take the initiative, as we have before?

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, I suggest that there is some difference between taking the initiative in asking the United Nations to intervene when a catastrophe has arisen as the result of plague or disease and asking the United Nations to intervene in what is unfortunately a civil war in a sovereign State.

BARONESS SUMMERSKILL

Disease and starvation!

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, these have arisen by an act of civil war.

LORD RITCHIE-CALDER

My Lords, may I ask my noble friend whether there has not been a number of similar situations, in which the World Health Organisation and UNICEF did exactly, and very effectively, what we are now asking?

LORD WILLIS

My Lords, would my noble friend not agree, in view of the fact that the Belgian Government has decided to suspend the sale of arms to Nigeria, that this country should do the same and should concentrate on making an advance to the United Nations along the lines suggested?

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, I think the noble Lord is abusing the rules of this House, because that is definitely another question.

LORD REA

My Lords, referring to the noble Lord's reference to the airlift, would he bear in mind—I am sure he will, because he bears everything in mind—that during the last war every occupied territory was supplied by parachute with thousands of tons of supplies. I believe that he said recently that it would be only scratching the surface to send in parachute supplies. Might I ask him to give this matter careful consideration?

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, I would say to the noble Lord that that is another question. It does not directly arise from the Question on the Order Paper. My noble friend Lord Brockway is asking a Question later and perhaps a reply to the last supplementary should go with the answer to that.

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