HL Deb 14 November 1979 vol 402 cc1249-51

2.57 p.m.

Lord HATCH of LUSBY

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 they have made any protest to Bishop Muzorewa's régime about the invasion of Zambia and the attack on the Tanzam railway.

Lord TREFGARNE

My Lords, my noble friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary answered a similar Question from the noble Lord yesterday and I have nothing to add to the reply he gave then.

Lord HATCH of LUSBY

My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that, while his noble friend the Foreign Secretary may have answered a similar Question yesterday, he did not answer this Question yesterday? This Question refers to a separate and quite different incident. Would he agree that this incident of an attack on a bridge on the Tanzam railway, many hundreds of miles from where any guerrillas could have been, is an act of international aggression perpetrated by a régime for which the present Government claim to be responsible, against a friendly Commonwealth country?

Lord TREFGARNE

My Lords, the noble Lord's supplementary contains a number of assertions with which I would disagree, but I would remind the noble Lord and the House that a war is going on in that part of the world. We certainly deplore that fact. Noble Lords will recall that when the conference began at Lancaster House some 10 weeks ago we invited all the parties to that war to enter into a cease-fire. The bishop's parties in Salisbury agreed to that ceasefire but the other parties did not.

Lord PITT of HAMPSTEAD

My Lords, am I to understand the noble Lord properly? Is he saying that, because there is at this moment the war between the forces of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia and people from Zimbabwe-Rhodesia who are in fact trying to overthrow the Government of the country of which they were members—in other words, the forces of Mr. Nkomo and Mr. Mugabe—it is right for the forces from Zimbabwe-Rhodesia to take action such as the bombing of the Tanzam railway, which in fact invites retaliation from the Zambian forces? Is that what the noble Lord is suggesting?

Lord TREFGARNE

My Lords, of course we deeply regret that the war continues, but I can only repeat that we invited all the parties to enter into a cease-fire at the beginning of the conference. The Muzorewa party did agree to a cease-fire but the Patriotic Front did not.

Lord PITT of HAMPSTEAD

My Lords, I am sorry; the noble Lord is not answering the question.

The Earl of KIMBERLEY

My Lords, does my noble friend not agree that, while these very delicate and important negotiations are going on, the less these matters are brought up (which we on certain sides of the House consider as irritations), the more smoothly the conference might go?

Lord TREFGARNE

My Lords, I could not agree to condemn the actions of one side only. We regret all the military operations that are occurring in the war in that part of the world, and I can only say yet again, for the third time, that we have invited all the parties to enter into a cease-fire. If only they would.

Lord PITT of HAMPSTEAD

My Lords, the noble Lord has not answered my question, because what I am asking him is: is he aware that the bombing of the Tanzam railway invites retaliation from the forces of Zambia, and therefore, in fact, could cause an escalation and an enlargement of the war?

Lord TREFGARNE

Yes, of course, my Lords. All military operations invite retaliation.

Lord DERWENT

My Lords, does the pursuit of this question really help matters at this particular moment?

Lord TREFGARNE

Not particularly.

Lord HATCH of LUSBY

My Lords, I must ask the noble Lord to answer my original Question. This has nothing to do with the Lancaster House Conference. This is an attack on a friendly Commonwealth country which is our friend, and which has been trying to assist the British Government in their mediations. Is this the attitude which the present Government take to the Commonwealth: that they will allow and excuse an attack from another country on a friendly Commonwealth country, and call it nothing more than an incident?

Lord TREFGARNE

My Lords, I do not think that the noble Lord can have listened to what I said. Yes, of course, we regret that the Rhodesian authorities mounted this attack into Zambia, but we also regret the attacks mounted from Zambia into Rhodesia.