GREECE AND THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE (Hansard, 7 May 1969)

§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (LORD SHEPHERD)
My Lords, with permission I will repeat a Statement just made in another place by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on the question of Greece and the Council of Europe. The Statement is as follows:
"As the House will be aware, on the 6th of May the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe passed by 13 votes to 2, with 3 abstentions, a resolution on this question. This resolution does four things. It identifies the Committee closely with Recommendation 547, passed by the Consultative Assembly on the 30th of January; it brings the conclusions of that recommendation to the Greek Government's attention (as suggested by the Consultative Assembly), in order that the Greek Government may draw the necessary conclusions; it expresses the hope that the report of the Commission of Human Rights will be made available as soon as possible; and it declares the Committee ready to take a decision at its next meeting, until which time Recommendation 547 will remain on the agenda of the Committee of Ministers and of their Deputies.
"There are several points about this resolution which I should like to emphasise. First, the resolution does not mean indefinite postponement, still less evasion, of this important issue. On the contrary, its effect is to set a time limit for the Greek Government to convince European opinion that the evolutionary process towards democracy, which in their view they have begun, has either been completed or is within striking distance of fulfilment.
"The reason why Ministers expressed the hope—and no more—that the Human Rights Commission would 1203 make available their report as soon as possible is that constitutionally it would be wrong for the Committee of Ministers to do anything that might suggest that it was giving this distinguished judicial body any kind of directive. A number of my colleagues urged that no decision should be taken on the Greek question by the Committee until this report was available. There is no doubt that the report will have an important bearing on the Committee's final decision. My own view, which I expressed in Committee yesterday, is that it is highly desirable that Ministers should have had time to study the report before taking their decision, but that this is not essential.
"Finally, the resolution speaks simply of the next meeting of the Committee, without specifying when this meeting will be held. This is deliberate. In certain circumstances my colleagues and I would be prepared to hold an extraordinary meeting to consider the Greek question.
"I believe, therefore, that the outcome of yesterday's meeting was satisfactory. Much of the credit for this is due to the Chairman, the German Foreign Minister."

§ THE EARL OF DUNDEE
My Lords, I should like to thank the noble Lord for repeating this Statement and I think that the Foreign Secretary has come to the right conclusion, for the time being, on this question. There are only two general questions that I would ask the noble Lord. First, would the Government agree that the present régime in Greece is much more likely to make progress towards democracy if Greece is kept within the Council of Europe than if Greece is kicked out? The other question is about the Human Rights Commission. It is the duty or the purpose, of the Council of Europe to try to preserve human rights, and I should like to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will continually impress upon their colleagues in the Council what might happen to human rights in Central and Western Europe if the Southern flank of NATO in the Eastern Mediterranean were to be lost by the expulsion of Greece.

§ LORD SHEPHERD
My Lords, the noble Earl, clearly, has put his finger on the importance of Greece to NATO and to 1204 security in Europe. It is also true that human rights, the respect for human rights, if it is to last and survive, must depend upon all countries concerned acknowledging it and, if possible, developing it. In regard to the first supplementary question, whether the attitude of the present Greek régime is more likely to change if Greece remains within the Council of Europe than if Greece is expelled from it, perhaps only the Greek régime can give us that answer. But the Charter of the Council of Europe is quite specific, and this is the matter which has given concern to the Consultative Assembly and to the Ministers. I hope that the Greek régime will understand the strength of the view which exists not only in this country but throughout Europe and will seek ways and means to speed up their declared policy. They have declared a policy, but I hope they will speed it up and give us a sense of fulfilment.

§ LORD BEAUMONT OF WHITLEY
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for repeating the Statement which we on these Benches certainly welcome, with perhaps one reservation. I should like to ask three questions. I may say that we particularly welcome the recognition by the Foreign Secretary that the report of the Human Rights Commission is not essential in this matter and that a decision need not wait for that report. I think our reservation is in our disappointment that the present régime was not suspended now. The Council of Europe is one of the few bodies founded on democracy and human rights; and this fact, and the fact that it is not just a pragmatic defence pact, is important. The three questions I would ask are: Were there any moves in the Council for immediate suspension; what was the attitude of the right honourable gentleman to such moves if there were any; do not the Government think that the Colonels have had more than enough time to restore democracy?

§ LORD SHEPHERD
My Lords, I would agree with the noble Lord that the receipt and consideration of the report is not essential. But bearing in mind the importance of the judgment to be made, not only to Greece but to Europe as a whole, I should have thought that if the report could be made available in sufficient time it would be desirable that it should be available. Although 1205 the conference of the Committee was confidential, I understand that there was one country that would have been willing to have a decision taken, but that view was not pressed upon the Committee; and as the noble Lord will see from the Statement, the general consensus of opinion was on the line which is in the resolution. Regarding the attitude of my right honourable friend, I may say that we are committed to a policy that whatever we do should clearly be in the interests of the people of Greece; and that we should not do anything which would isolate the régime in Greece from the views, opinions and pressures that are exerted in democratic societies. We do not think, therefore, that the time given—and this resolution clearly does give time—will be wasted. I hope that it will not be wasted and that the Greek Government will understand the views of all the countries in Europe. My Lords, whether the régime has had enough time is a matter that, in the end, it will be for all of us to decide; but I hope, as I said last night, that sooner or later—perhaps not too late—we shall see a change in Greece.

LORD HAWKE
My Lords, does the noble Lord not agree that the present Greek Government has done more towards creating a peaceful atmosphere in Cyprus than any preceding Greek Government?

§ LORD SHEPHERD
My Lords, clearly the noble Lord is going very wide. I hope that he will understand what is the position in Greece. True they have a new Constitution, but at least two of the fundamental principles of democracy, as we understand it—a free Press and freedom to organise political Parties—are to-day in suspense. So whatever may be the virtues of the present régime in Greece, clearly they do not stand up to what we understand to be democracy, or to what is one of the basic requirements of the Charter of the Council of Europe.