GUYANA

HL Deb 21 April 1970 vol 309 cc611-2

LORD SORENSEN

My 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 an agreement exists between this country and the Republic of Guyana in respect of British troops or police being provided for keeping the peace in Guyana, including the cost of this.]

THE MINISTER OF STATE, FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (LORD SHEPHERD)

My Lords, no.

LORD SORENSEN

My Lords, while thanking my noble friend for that abbreviated reply, may I ask him whether he can amplify it a little and indicate to which portion of my Question his negative refers?

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, I have answered the question accurately. I am asked what agreement exists between this country and the Republic of Guyana in respect of the provision of British troops or police for keeping the peace in Guyana; the answer is no, there is no such agreement.

LORD SORENSEN

My Lords, I thank my noble friend.

LORD CLIFFORD OF CHUDLEIGH

My Lords, have external claims on Guyana been modified recently? If not, is there any agreement about British troops going to the assistance of Guyana in those cases?

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, I should have thought that that was entirely another question. In regard to the question of the use of British troops, I have already given the answer.

LORD BROCKWAY

My Lords, if the British troops have been withdrawn, can my noble friend say when the withdrawal took place?

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, there are no British troops in Guyana. I believe that the training team that was there was withdrawn in the summer of 1968, and the one officer who had been on loan to the Government of Guyana was withdrawn in March, 1969.

LORD HAWKE

My Lords, are there any Venezuelan troops in the disputed territory?

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, not that I am aware of.