§ LORD BROCKWAYMy 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 they will initiate proposals that the United Nations should urge Governments to accept an embargo on all arms to Nigeria and Biafra and to offer the services of a peace-keeping force following the conclusion of a truce.]
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (LORD SHEPHERD)My Lords, as has been said on many occasions Her Majesty's Government believe that an embargo without the agreement of both sides as a consequence of a cease-fire is impracticable and would not stop the continued supply of arms through other sources. A peace-keeping force, if acceptable to both sides, could also follow a cease-fire. In all this we think that the organisation best placed to help is the O.A.U., whose Good Offices Committee are meeting again this week in a renewed effort to bring the two sides closer together.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, while thanking my noble friend for that Answer, may I ask whether he is aware that already the Council of Europe is considering an embargo by European countries? If this were proposed at the Security Council of the United Nations would not any Government be defying world opinion if it obstructed, or applied the veto?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, I know that this matter is being considered by the Council of Europe, but in the case of the United Nations, as I am sure my noble friend appreciates, Nigeria regards this as an internal matter, and in those circumstances I think it unlikely that there would be support at the United Nations to involve itself directly in what is an internal matter. But even then the greatest problem is not the nations' themselves deciding that there should be an embargo but the implementation of it, because, as my noble friend knows, there are many sources of supply of arms which no Government has yet been able to control.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, may I ask my noble friend a question about peace-keeping forces? In view of the fact that a quite hopeful move is now being made by the O.A.U. which would demand a peace-keeping force immediately after any truce, could not the initiative be taken in the United Nations, in association with the Commonwealth or the O.A.U., to make preparations for such a peace-keeping force?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, I think the United Nations itself would wish to have the agreement of the Government of Nigeria. If there is to be a peace-keeping force which could follow a cease-fire this would depend upon agreement by both sides, and as my noble friend is aware, the British Government have said that they would be willing to contribute to such a peace-keeping force if they were asked to do so by both sides.
§ LORD SEGALMy Lords, would not my noble friend agree that all the efforts of O.A.U. are likely to prove unsuccessful so long as arms continue to be supplied to both sides in Nigeria by the European Powers?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, the arms come from many parts of the world, not just from Europe, and they come through various channels. I believe it would be extremely difficult to get an effective embargo on both sides unless there is agreement by both sides and, above all, agreement on both sides to see that arms do not in fact enter the two territories.