§ 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 what conclusions were reached at the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the South-East Asia Treaty Organisation.]
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (LORD CHALFONT)My Lords, as the noble Lord will be aware, my noble friend the Minister of State, Lord Shepherd, attended this meeting in Bangkok as leader of the United Kingdom delegation. He is at present visiting other countries in South-East Asia and hence cannot, as I am sure he would otherwise have wished to do, answer this Question himself.
The conclusions of the meeting are set out in detail in the final communiqué, which is a long document, and of which a copy has now been placed in the Library of the House. The Council concluded briefly that the most significant development during the past year had been the prospects which had been opened up for peace in Vietnam. The Council reaffirmed the importance which it attached to the Organisation. It expressed its conviction that greater emphasis should be placed on political consultations, counter-insurgency, and economic and cultural co-operation, to make the Organisation more responsive to new tactics being employed to undermine the stability and orderly progress of free societies.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, while expressing great appreciation of that reply, particularly in view of the absence of my noble friend Lord Shepherd, may 770 I just ask this question? Did not the discussions by the Foreign Ministers at the SEATO Conference indicate the need for a reappraisal of our whole policy in South-East Asia? There were different attitudes—I will not list them all. Would it be possible, when my noble friend Lord Shepherd returns, for us to have a rather fuller discussion on this issue? This would be rather more than could be given in answer to a supplementary question.
§ LORD CHALFONTMy Lords, I must, of course, leave to the usual channels the question of debates or further discussion. I would point out that we have already had a very radical reappraisal of our policy in South-East Asia, with certain results that have become obvious over past months. I will certainly convey to the Minister of State, when he returns, what my noble friend has said.