§ LORD SORENSENMy 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 consultations or inquiries have taken place with other Governments in respect of the supply of arms to Nigeria and its dissident minority; and what consideration has been given to the proposal that Her Majesty's Government should seek agreement with the French Government by which Her Majesty's Government would now cease to supply arms to Nigeria provided the French Government prohibited its nationals from supplying arms to this dissidents.]
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (LORD SHEPHERD)My Lords, we have had discussions with other Governments about the general problem of Nigeria. The French Government denies that any arms are being supplied from France to either side in the war.
§ LORD SORENSENMy Lords, does that mean that the Russian Government has refused to consult with other Governments on this matter? In regard to the second part of my Question, is it not a known fact that arms are being supplied from private sources in France; and, in the circumstances, seeing that conditions to-day are very different from those which existed when the war began in Nigeria, would not the possibility envisaged in my Question be worth exploring, psychologically and politically?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, Russia has admitted that she supplies arms to 998 the Federal Government of Nigeria. On the question of discussions with the French Government, I find it hard to see how we can proceed, because on three occasions the French Government has said clearly that it neither exports arms to either side in Nigeria nor permits it. On the other hand, French arms are to be found in Nigeria.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, is it not a fact that while the French Government is not providing arms directly, arms are arriving through Gabon and through the Ivory Coast? Is it not therefore desirable that we should approach this question not merely by asking the French Government to stop its supply of arms, but also by seeking negotiations with all the Governments supplying arms for a complete embargo on such supply?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, the position of Her Majesty's Government is that we believe this rebellion to be wrong and that the Nigerian Government were justified in resisting it. In regard to the French arms supplies and the manner in which they arrive in Biafra, there is, as the noble Lord will know, a certain amount of conjecture. I have spoken many times about the great difficulties of an effective arms embargo unless both sides agreed to it. But if both sides would agree we should certainly see what we could do to implement it.
§ LORD SORENSENMy Lords, may I ask my noble friend whether it would be displeasing to the French Government if we were to prove, in spite of the assurance to the contrary, that arms were being supplied from private sources in France?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, this is a Nigerian and an African problem, and I think the responsibility for such proof really lies with the Nigerian authorities.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, may I ask my noble friend—for this is particularly important—whether he is aware that Colonel Ojukwu and the Biafrans have now declared in favour of a complete arms embargo? Is it not possible for Her Majesty's Government to consult with Lagos to a similar end?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, if Colonel Ojukwu agrees to an arms embargo, that is a step forward. I am not aware of such an offer standing by itself. 999 As my noble friend knows—and we had a good debate on this subject last week—there are many mediators and many friends who wish to help in this matter; but in the end a satisfactory solution must depend on the two sides themselves coming together to agree.