§ 3.8 p.m.
§ LORD KENNETMy 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 they are concerned with the negotiations between Iceland and the United States about the evacuation of American forces from the NATO air and naval bases at Keflavik.
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIE)My Lords, the Icelandic Foreign Minister had bilateral discussions with the United States Government from January 24 to 26. Mr. Agustsson said that his projected discussions were not based on the provisions of the defence agreement between Iceland and the United States, but were part of exploratory discussions in his study of Iceland's security and defence.
§ LORD KENNETMy Lords, have the Americans kept us in touch with what went on in those bilateral conversations? I ask that for two reasons: first, it is a NATO base that those conversations are about, and we are part of NATO; and secondly, because the House might assume that our own conduct in the fishery dispute with Iceland would have a large bearing on the Icelandic attitude in these talks on the base with the United States.
§ BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIEMy Lords, if the United States Government had anything definite to report after that meeting they would report to NATO as a whole. There is no connection between this general review of Iceland's defence matters and the fishery dispute, although of course we bear it in mind, because Iceland is a valuable ally within NATO.