§ 3.52 p.m.
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, with the permission of the House I should like now to reply to a Private Notice Question put by my noble friend Lord Brockway earlier this afternoon in respect of relief to Biafra. I would answer as follows:
The British High Commissioner in Lagos has seen both General Gowon and Dr. Arikpo in the course of the last few days. The High Commissioner has, on the instructions of the Secretary of State, made clear to the Federal authorities our deep concern and hope that arrangements should urgently be made which will allow the flow of relief to be resumed. The House will realise that such arrangements will also require the active co-operation of the Biafran leadership, particularly if daylight flights are to be instituted. The Federal Government's new policy statement reaffirms that the Federal Government is prepared to allow relief supplies to rebel-held areas subject to proper inspection and control. Everything now turns on working out 330 satisfactory arrangements between the Federal Government and the relief agencies on this basis, and, indeed, on the Biafran response.
The talks in Lagos between the Federal Government and the relief agencies began this morning and were resumed at 3 p.m. this afternoon. When the results of these negotiations are known, and I have been able to evaluate them, I hope to be able to make a further Statement to the House.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, while thanking my noble friend for that Answer, may I, because of the tragedy of this situation, be constructive before being critical? Would the Government consider this proposal, for which I have some authority? While United Nations' and British intervention would be resented by one side or the other, could not co-operating Governments indicate to the Federal Government that they would contribute substantial aid and would second pilots and planes to the International Red Cross and to Church and other relief organisations to enable them to give notice that from an early date they will operate a massive relief organisation by air, land and river? Would not the Federal Government be likely to accept such a proposal if it were supported by the Governments of the United States of America and Britain and by Governments in Europe?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, my noble friend had said that he was going to be constructive and critical. I was awaiting the critical part.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, that will come.
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, I will take note of the suggestion that my noble friend has made, although I must he frank, it is not a new one. The problem is not in the quantity of the food or medicine, because supplies are available at the perimeters of Biafra. The problem is in the means of getting those foods and medical supplies into Biafra. As my noble friend knows, night flights have been used, I think deliberately, as a cover for arms shipments into Biafra. That is the reason why the Federal Government have come out in opposition to night flights, where in the past they have condoned them. It is Colonel Ojukwu who puts conditions—I think unreasonable conditions—upon both the daylight 331 flights and the use of the river. But I hope that the talks that are now taking place in Lagos (and, later, I hope, negotiations with Colonel Ojukwu) will see a breakthrough in this field.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, has my noble friend seen the statement from Lagos this morning that the Federal Government have now ended the role of the International Red Cross as a relief organisation and have made no statement about the possibility of daylight flights? Is it not the case that the Biafran Administration has accepted both daylight flights and river relief under international supervision? In view of these circumstances, how long are Her Majesty's Government going to supply arms to one side in this disastrous conflict and thus contribute to the starvation of hundreds of thousands of people?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, I know that my noble friend wishes to be constructive; I hope that he will be accurate. Colonel Ojukwu has said he will permit daylight flights if they are supplementary to night flights. In other words, he is making a condition for daylight flights—a condition that the night flights continue; because this is a cover for arms supplies. With regard to the question of the Federal Government and the International Committee of the Red Cross, if my noble friend will look at that statement again, with care, he will see that it refers to the Federal areas only—I repeat: the Federal areas only. It means that the Nigerian Committee of Rehabilitation will have overall responsibility; but it does not say that the International Committee of the Red Cross cannot participate in relief within the Federal-held areas.
§ BARONESS HYLTON-FOSTERMy Lords, will the noble Lord make it plain—I think he meant to—that the Red Cross is in no way concerned with carrying arms?
§ LORD SHEPHERDI am glad that the noble Baroness has raised that point. I hope that I have never so indicated. What I said was that the use of these relief aircraft by night has been a cover for military equipment to be flown into Biafra and, as my noble friend Lord Brockway well knows, for the Biafrans to obtain an aircraft capability.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, how can my noble friend object to the Biafrans obtaining arms from the other side when Her Majesty's Government are supplying arms to the Federal State?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, I think that this is getting into a debate. Surely if what the noble Lord says is right, the Federal Government have every right to prevent in every possible way Biafra from continuing this conflict. But in this particular case, for the first time in my knowledge of war, a Government has been prepared to see medical supplies going into an area which it regards as being in rebellion.