HL Deb 22 February 1982 vol 427 cc745-7

2.48 p.m.

Lord Gridley

My Lords, in the absence of my noble friend Lady Vickers, who is unfortunately in hospital, and at her request, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in her name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how the Gambia's relationship to the Commonwealth is affected by the fact that Senegal and the Gambia have decided to become one political entity as Senegambia.

Lord Trefgarne

My Lords, the agreement establishing the confederation of Senegambia states clearly that each country is to maintain its independence and sovereignty. President Jawara has said that the confederation will not compromise any of the agreements which link the Gambia to Great Britain and the rest of the Commonwealth.

Lord Gridley

My Lords, in thanking my noble friend the Minister for that Answer, may I ask whether he is aware of the reply given by my noble friend the Foreign Secretary to a Question by the noble Lord, Lord Brockway, on 26th November, in which my noble friend the Foreign Secretary stressed the importance of the stability of the area, particularly to the Commonwealth? Is he further aware that since that Answer was given the directors of the International Monetary Fund have refused to continue the three- year financial stability, in sums of money they were giving to that area, because of the instability which they think has now arisen from the confederation? Would my noble friend care to comment on that situation?

Lord Trefgarne

My Lords, as my noble friend may know, the decisions of the International Monetary Fund are generally arrived at by a consensus of the board members of the fund, and I would not therefore want to quarrel with the decisions that they have reached. Doubtless they had good reasons to decide as they did. But I certainly confirm that, as my noble friend said on 26th November, we are strong supporters of the stability of that region.

Lord Shepherd

My Lords, the noble Lord referred to the position of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. Do I take it that those conditions relate to organisations drawn from the United Kingdom or the Commonwealth? I have very much in mind the Medical Research Council complex in the Gambia, which has been under attack and stress. Can I take it that this new arrangement will give security and tenure to that organisation?

Lord Trefgarne

My Lords, I do not think that the arrangement which is the subject of the Question in any way affects the organisation to which the noble Lord refers.

Baroness Llewelyn-Davies of Hastoe

My Lords, since this is a rather unique situation, where a former French colony and a former British colony have got together, and since we know that the main difficulties are economic, could not the noble Lord make representations, if not to the IMF then in general, to make sure that the stability whose importance he emphasised is maintained financially, and that therefore a democratic régime can be maintained in Senegambia?

Lord Trefgarne

My Lords, as I said, the decisions of the International Monetary Fund are generally arrived at by means of a consensus of the board members, and, of course, we play our part in achieving that consensus.

Lord Brockway

My Lords, while I welcome the fact that the Gambia will still be a part of the British Commonwealth, may I ask the noble Lord this question: Is he aware that the new confederation, as indicated by its negotiations with the IMF, is now in a very serious economic position; and would Her Majesty's Government approach the French Government, which has such close associations with Senegal, to see whether jointly they cannot do something to rescue the people of the confederation from this situation?

Lord Trefgarne

My Lords, I think that what I am being asked to do is to short-circuit the proper procedures of the IMF, of which, of course, France is also a member. If the noble Lord is thinking, on the other hand, of some assistance through our aid programme, of course we do what we can in those countries as well, within the limits of our resources.

Lord Mowbray and Stourton

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that President Senghor of Senegal used to say that, after his mother country by adoption, France, he thought Great Britain was the greatest country in the world?

Lord Trefgarne

My Lords, I agree with him, bar one.