§ 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 whether they have drawn the attention of the Sanctions Committee of the United Nations Security Council to the facilities given by a number of countries to the air service Affretair which is transporting goods to and from Rhodesia.
§ The MINISTER of STATE, FOREIGN and COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (Lord Goronwy-Roberts)Yes, my Lords. A Note about Affretair was submitted to the Sanctions Committee by Her Majesty's Government on 9th April this year.
§ Lord BROCKWAYMy lords, is it the case that this company is a subsidiary of the Rhodesian Trans African Line and is subsidised by the Rhodesian Government; that it ferries exports and gives foreign currency through charter service to Rhodesia? In view of these facts is it not breaking all our sanction laws?
§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, my noble friend's information is substantially correct, and his conclusion is entirely correct.
§ Lord BROCKWAYMy Lords, may I ask the Minister whether it is the case 348 that a number of European Governments are giving landing facilities to this Rhodesian company, reconditioning its planes, training its crews, and giving employment to charter service in Europe? And is it the case that only Greece and the United Kingdom have refused the facilities?
§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, I could not confirm that it is only the last two named countries that have refused facilities to this company, but the countries which are named in the representations we have made to the United Nations are nine in number and do include two, I think three, European countries.
§ Lora BROCKWAYMy Lords, may I ask the Minister whether he would draw the attention of the Organisation of African Unity to the fact that there are also African countries which are giving facilities to this airline, which is breaking sanctions against the illegal Government in Southern Rhodesia?
§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, the terms of our representations to the Sanctions Committee will, of course, be circulated among all members of the United Nations, all of which are bound by Resolution 253 of 1968; and that includes all the countries of the OAU in Africa. As my noble friend has said, two African countries are involved in the terms of the representations we have made.
§ Lord HAILSHAM of SAINT MARYLEBONEMy Lords, is the Government's representation confidential or can it be placed in the Library?
§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, I do not think it is confidential in that sense. I believe it could be placed in the Library. Since 1973 we have made three representations of this kind about this company to the United Nations. I will look into this to see whether the texts of the three representations can be made available. I rather think they could, and should be.