HL Deb 27 November 1979 vol 403 cc332-4

2.53 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 which Commonwealth countries have been asked to provide contingents for the observer force in Zimbabwe-Rhodesia and how many have agreed.

Lord TREFGARNE

My Lords, we have asked all Commonwealth countries to say whether they wish to send observers. Replies are still being received.

Lord HATCH of LUSBY

My Lords, on Friday the Prime Minister stated that the Lancaster House Conference was within an ace—

Several noble Lords: Question!

Lord HATCH of LUSBY

—was within an ace of success. May I ask the noble Lord whether he would agree that the missing ace may very well be the Commonwealth force? Would he further agree that if, in either the pre-electoral period or the post-electoral period, the Patriotic Front guerrillas at their collection points are to feel safe from attack by the present security forces, possibly backed by South Africa, then a substantial Commonwealth force as a third force in that situation is essential to the success of negotiations?

Lord TREFGARNE

My Lords, I am not sure that there is not a confusion in the mind of the noble Lord. His Question refers to an observer force, but the noble Lord's supplementary question led me to wonder whether he was not referring to the cease-fire monitoring force, which is something quite separate. The noble Lord then referred to the question of a Commonwealth force and I presume he was meaning a Commonwealth cease-fire monitoring force and not Commonwealth observers. We are fully cognisant of the Commonwealth position on this matter, which was clearly laid down at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting at Lusaka. None the less it is a British responsibility and we intend to meet our responsibilities to the full.

Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS

My Lords, I should like to offer general support for what my noble friend Lord Hatch of Lusby has said as to the great advantage of emphasising as much as possible the Commonwealth's presence during the monitoring procedures as well as the observing procedures, which of course, as the noble Lord, Lord Trefgarne, has reminded us, are quite distinct. Is he in a position to tell us how many (so far) of the Commonwealth countries that have been asked whether they would be ready to make commitments to the observer force, have in fact replied favourably? He said that he was still awaiting replies, but it would be encouraging to know whether some have answered favourably. Secondly, is he at the moment in a position to tell the House how he thinks the talks are going today in Lancaster House?

Lord TREFGARNE

My Lords, with regard to the replies to invitations to be observers of the electoral procedure I do not have in front of me the names of those who have so far accepted. However I will say that four of our Commonwealth countries have agreed to participate in the monitoring force: they are Australia, Fiji, Kenya and New Zealand. I am afraid I am not yet in a position to make a statement on what has happened today at Lancaster House.

Lord HATCH of LUSBY

My Lords, will the noble Lord now answer my first question? Does he agree that this is the missing ace and that it would be a tragic disaster if, after all the exceptionally tough and skilful negotiations that have taken place by all sides in Lancaster House, the negotiations were to founder on this one central issue as to whether there should be a third force during the pre-electoral period and, if asked, during the post-electoral period?

Lord TREFGARNE

My Lords, I am not sure that that is the missing ace. The missing ace is simpler than that: it is the question of whether or not the Patriotic Front will now agree to a cease-fire broadly in accordance with the terms put forward by my noble friend at the conference. As your Lordships will know, the Salisbury parties have agreed to the Government proposals.

The Earl of ONSLOW

My Lords, let us assume for the sake of argument that everything goes wrong and that the Commonwealth force mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord Hatch of Lusby, is imposed between the Patriotic Front guerrillas and the Salisbury Government's forces: who will then command it, how will it get involved and will this in fact not be a further recipe for total disaster?

Lord TREFGARNE

My Lords, my noble friend is asking me to comment upon a wholly hypothetical situation. We are working towards a comprehensve settlement and a cease-fire.