SECURITY AND CO-OPERATION IN EUROPE (Hansard, 1 February 1979)

§ Lord CACCIA
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS
My Lords, during the period between now and the Madrid meeting in November 1980, we shall continue to consult regularly with our partners in the Nine and in NATO, and shall be intensifying our bilateral contacts on CSCE matters with the remaining signatories of the Final Act in an effort to ensure a fruitful outcome to the Madrid meeting.

§ Lord CACCIA
My Lords, in thanking the Minister for that reply I should like to press him on two points. First, is there a reasonable prospect that through our contacts with the Nine a common front may be worked out between now and the time of the meeting in Spain? Secondly, on the home front, have the Government thought of the advisability of setting up at some time a parliamentary committee on similar lines to that done in the Congress of the United States, with its Commission on Co-operation and Security in Europe?

§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS
My Lords, with regard to the noble Lord's first point, certainly it will be our aim to achieve the highest common factor of agreement among the Nine preparatory to deploying the unified Western attitude in Madrid. We succeeded to quite a large extent in doing this before Belgrade, but I personally—and I was there—would have wished to have seen fuller co-operation among the Nine at that important meeting. We hope to do better in Madrid.
The creation of a parliamentary committee is a very interesting suggestion. It has been considered, and will no doubt be considered again. As the noble Lord knows, we had a monitoring committee, under the chairmanship of my noble friend Lord Thomson of Monifieth, which did excellent work in bringing up to date the facts of achievement and shortfall among various countries in regard to the Final Act. But what form a monitoring 334 body should take between now and the convening of the Madrid meeting in 1980 is still for discussion. I should think that a parliamentary committee is at least as worthy of consideration as is any other form, and I thank the noble Lord for raising the matter once more.

§ Baroness ELLES
My Lords, the Minister said that there was considerable co-operation between the members of the Nine in preparation for the meeting in Madrid. Can he elaborate on that in some way and say whether there are regular meetings between the Ambassadors of the eight other member States and his right honourable friend, or himself, as a means of co-operation during this period? If this is not so, does he consider that it would be a good idea to have these eight Ambassadors at the Foreign Office from time to time to discuss these matters?

§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS
My Lords, I certainly can confirm that it is an excellent idea. As I recall, the form it took in the run-up to the Belgrade meeting was that of very close bilateral meetings, because we have a special relationship with each one of the Nine. In addition there were meetings in Brussels, naturally—I will not say as part of the political cooperation, but allied to it—and certainly in NATO, where the Nine are included. No doubt all three forms of consultation will be used between now and 1980; that is to say, very close bilateral consultations, discussion among the Nine, and indeed within NATO.

§ Lord SEGAL
My Lords, can my noble friend say what steps have been taken by the countries behind the Iron Curtain to prepare for the next conference due to take place in November 1980?

§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS
No, my Lords, I could not with any authority say what is being prepared on the other side of the curtain, as my noble friend puts it. However, I can assure him that I, among others, have already begun bilateral discussions with countries in Eastern Europe. It is our intention not only to have bilateral discussions with our friends and allies, naturally, but also with as many countries as are willing in Eastern Europe, and indeed outside Europe, on the fringes of Europe. I believe that the 335 auguries for such discussions with eastern European countries are very favourable at the present time. I have just had a very rewarding exchange with the Deputy Foreign Minister for Hungary.

Lord CHELWOOD
My Lords, has the noble Lord had an opportunity to study the quite excellent reports of the Congressional Committee set up to monitor the implementation of the Helsinki Final Act, which have certainly had a powerful effect in the United States in informing Congress about this matter, as well as informing public opinion? Arising from the second point made by the noble Lord, Lord Caccia—who chaired his own committee so well—is there not therefore a very clear case for there to be set up in this country a parliamentary Select Committee which will regularly inform public opinion?

§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS
My Lords, I fully appreciate the force of what has been said by the noble Lord in support of what the noble Lord, Lord Caccia, said, and I have indicated that such a form of monitoring by us should command as much attention as any other form. We were very well satisfied with the way in which the monitoring committee presided over by my noble friend Lord Thomson, worked last year. That is not to say that we are not open to suggestions similar to those that we have heard today; namely, among others, the creation of a parliamentary commission, not identical with, but analogous to, the American experiment.