§ 3.27 p.m.
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN and COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS (Lord Carrington)My Lords, with your Lordships' permission, I should like to make a Statement about the New Hebrides.
As your Lordships are aware, it has always been the objective of Britain and France to ensure that the New Hebrides condominium should achieve independence in peace and unity, with its territorial integrity intact.
When my honourable friend the Minister of State met his French colleague, M. Dijoud, in Paris on Saturday, 19th July, they agreed that independence should take place as planned on 30th July. They also recognised with some regret that their efforts to achieve a negotiated solution to the problems which have resulted from the activities of Mr. Jimmy Stevens and his associates on the island of Santo, had not so far been successful. They therefore agreed that while their two personal representatives should return to the New Hebrides to continue their efforts to establish a real dialogue between the Government and the various opposition groups, they could not allow the secessionists to continue blatantly to flout the authority of the legitimate Government on the island of Santo.
517 As a consequence of this decision, during the course of this morning (local time) British and French troops, acting together, carried out an operation to restore the authority of the legitimate Government on the island of Santo, thus putting an end to the eight-week rebellion. The operation appears so far to have been a complete success. There have been no casualties and no shots were fired. I should like to congratulate the British and French troops for the efficiency with which this successful operation has been carried out.
The way is now open for the Central Government's representative to return to Santo and for the blockade to be lifted. A fresh attempt will now be made to reopen a dialogue to try to resolve the outstanding difficulties before independence on 30th July. In this way we and the French Government have sought to fulfil our obligation to bring the New Hebrides to independence in peace and unity.
§ 3.30 p.m.
§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, the House is grateful to the noble Lord the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary for making that Statement, and I am sure it welcomes the fact that the authority of the democratically elected Government of the New Hebrides has been effectively restored over the whole of its territory. It is particularly gratifying that this has happened through the resumed co-operation of the condominial parties, the United Kingdom and France, and that the operation, which was essentially a police operation, was carried out without casualties, and indeed without firing a shot. I would say myself that it was a peace-keeping and peacemaking operation well within one of the foremost aims of the United Nations Organisation.
§ A noble Lord: Speak up!
§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, I am doing my best. We also think it is absolutely right to proceed with Independence Day on 30th July. The New Hebrides Government will, however, continue to need support from both condominial Governments for some time even after independence. I doubt whether we have heard the last of Mr. 518 Jimmy Stevens and his associates; and Father Lini and his democratically elected Government, both now and after independence, if he is re-elected then, will need the support of both countries in continuing to assert effectively the authority of his Government over the whole of the territory handed over to him. At the same time, we welcome the fact that every effort will be made between now and 30th July to compose the differences between various elements in the islands. But I hope that we and France will continue to make it clear that the authority of the constitutional Government must prevail.
There are elements there who will refuse to come to agreement, but so long as the effort is made and it is perfectly clear to them that at the end of the day constitutional authority rests with the elected Government of the New Hebrides, that in itself is an entire policy that we on this side of the House will join the Government in promoting with our French allies. This is in the interests not only of the people of the New Hebrides, an island state always prone to the possibility of fragmentation, but also of the wider field in the Pacific and in other parts of the world where there are similar island states always threatened by internal dissidence which might fragment their internal stability and also give opportunity to external elements not concerned with the wellbeing of the countries themselves but with their own international advantage. We thank the Foreign Secretary for his Statement and we welcome very much its contents.
§ 3.33 p.m.
§ Lord GLADWYNMy Lords, we, too, should like to thank the Foreign Secretary for making that Statement—
§ Several noble Lords: Speak up!
§ Lord GLADWYNMy Lords, can your Lordships hear now? Is that better? We should like to thank the Foreign Secretary for making this Statement. Clearly it is very satisfactory that the two Governments have now been successful in putting down this really rather absurd rebellion on the island of Santo. Can we take it that there will now be no question of the island of Santo becoming a tax haven for certain American financial 519 interests, and is it clear that there will be no more question of a special régime for this island when independence is declared in a few days' time?
§ Lord CARRINGTONMy Lords, I think that all of us are glad that this episode is now over and that the New Hebrides will move to independence on 30th July. What happens after independence will of course depend upon the wishes of the Prime Minister of the newly independent country, but I think the noble Lord opposite can rest assured that both the French Government and we ourselves will do what we can to help. I confirm what the noble Lord, Lord Gladwyn, has said. The rebellion is at an end and Santo is part of the country of the New Hebrides.