§ 11.14 a.m.
§ 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 is their reaction to the joint declaration of the Thailand and Philippine Governments in favour of the phasing out of the South-East Asia Treaty Organisation and the substitution of a common market for members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations.
§ The PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE, FOREIGN and COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (Lord Goronwy-Roberts)My Lords, Her Majesty's Government have supported the South-East Asian Treaty Organisation as long as the regional members saw value in it. If they now wish to phase out the Organisation, we would not object. We fully support the objectives of the Association of South-East Asian Nations, as they are.
§ Lord BROCKWAYMy Lords, I very much welcome that reply. Would the Minister agree that, while SEATO has always been a little ineffective, in view of the present situation in South-East Asia it is now obsolete for its purposes?
§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, not everybody, especially those in that region, would agree that SEATO has not made a substantial contribution to peace and stability in that area. However, the question of its future is for its regional members to decide. We would go along with what they saw to be in their interest; they are the best judges of that. No doubt that question will be discussed in the forthcoming annual council meeting of SEATO which should take place in, I think, September.
§ Earl COWLEYMy Lords, can the noble Lord say how the future of SEATO is affected by the present Government's defence cuts?
§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, I do not think that there is any relation at all. I should like to stress that we regard the future of SEATO as being very much the concern of the regional members of that organisation.