Iran-Iraq War: Cease-fire Endeavours (Hansard, 25 March 1986)

§ Lord Molloy
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Young)
My Lords, the United Kingdom was actively involved in the adoption of Security Council Resolution 582 on 24th February which called for an immediate cease-fire. Iraq responded by saying that the resolution represented a comprehensive and indivisible approach to settling the conflict, and that it was ready to co-operate with the Security Council if the Iran Government undertook to accept the resolution.
The Iranian response was that the resolution made no condemnation of Iraq as the aggressor; Iran reaffirmed its preparedness to continue co-operation with the Secretary-General.

§ Lord Molloy
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness for that reply. Does she agree that the British Foreign Secretary has probably done more than any other Foreign Secretary to bring this distasteful war to an end? Does she agree that it is distasteful, which is recognised by our Foreign Secretary, in so far as there have been allegations of the recruitment of children 1280 and of the use of chemical weapons and other barbarous methods? Does the noble Baroness also agree that the Foreign Secretary's responsibility in getting Iraq to agree to Resolution 582 was a massive step forward and that he deserves the support of other leading statesmen in foreign affairs throughout the world?

§ Baroness Young
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for his references to my right honourable friend the Secretary of State. As I have already indicated, we believe that the best hope for an early settlement is through the United Nations, and in particular through the good offices of the Secretary-General. We supported UN Security Council Resolution 582, which was adopted on 24th February; we joined with our Community partners on 25th February in a declaration which underlined the need for the implementation of this resolution, as well as the requirement to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighbouring states; and on 21st March we endorsed the statement by the president of the Security Council which condemned both the use of chemical weapons by Iraq and the prolongation of the conflict.

§ Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos
My Lords, while fully supporting the actions described by the noble Baroness, can she say what are the implications of the statement made by Mr. Timothy Renton a day or two ago, when he said that her Majesty's Government would give quick and sympathetic consideration to any request by Kuwait for military aid—presumably military aid—in the event that the conflict spreads? In view of the importance of that statement, perhaps she could clarify it and explain precisely what it meant.

§ Baroness Young
My Lords, I think that the noble Lord, Lord Cledwyn, is referring to a press report on what my honourable friend Mr. Renton is alleged to have said. May I make quite clear that what he said in Kuwait, and I confirm now, was that any Kuwait request for help would be considered promptly and sympathetically.

§ Lord Mayhew
My Lords, has the noble Baroness's attention been drawn to the peace proposals of Iran's National Council of Resistance, which have been supported by the Council of Europe and by the European Parliament? Do the Government support these quite reasonable-sounding proposals?

§ Baroness Young
My Lords, the position of Her Majesty's Government is as I have set out: in support of the initiatives and the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General to bring this appalling conflict to an end.

Lord Paget of Northampton
My Lords, can the noble Baroness tell us why Her Majesty's Government have been engaged in such a list of activities over a problem which is no business of ours? Really, is not this a case like the two knights in Alice in Wonderland: that they are much more harmlessly engaged in bashing each other than in bashing somebody else, which they undoubtedly would be doing if they were given time?

§ Baroness Young
My Lords, the Government's view is that it is right to support the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General to try to bring to an end this terrible war which has already cost so many young lives.

§ Lord Kennet
My Lords, in the light of the noble Baroness's original reply, which so clearly put in perspective the position of Iraq and Iran, respectively, towards the United Nations, can she say anything about recent allegations in the technical press that there have been important clandestine sales of arms from this country to Iran—not, it is alleged, with any complicity of the Government, but nevertheless that they have been sold from this country to Iran?

§ Baroness Young
My Lords, we sell no defence-related equipment which could significantly enhance the capability of either side to prolong or to exacerbate the conflict. All applications for the export of defence-related equipment are rigorously scrutinised to ensure that all such items are excluded.

§ Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos
My Lords, I apologise for pursuing the point that I raised earlier with the noble Baroness, but I wonder whether she would explain a little further. As I understand it, we already supply military aid to the Kuwaitis. In what circumstances would we supply further aid? Is it proposed that we, in certain circumstances, should send ships and manpower there? This is what I think concerns the House, because we do not know precisely what Mr. Renton had in mind.

§ Baroness Young
My Lords, I appreciate the supplementary question which the noble Lord asks, and I hope he will understand that, really, it would be very difficult to comment on that type of question. What I would say to him is that Kuwait knows that we would give any request our full consideration.

Viscount Buckmaster
My Lords, may I ask what is the Government's attitude towards the continued recruitment of children into the Iranian Army in defiance of the Geneva Convention?

§ Baroness Young
My Lords, I think that our position on the use and recruitment of children in these conflicts has been made quite clear.

§ Lord Kennet
My Lords, while we must welcome the repetition of the Government's well-known position that we do not sell arms to either side, and that the Government do not approve applications to export arms to either side, can the noble Baroness undertake to draw to the attention, whether of her colleagues or of the counter-intelligence service I do not know, the allegations that arms are being run out of this country to Iran in defiance of the law?

§ Baroness Young
My Lords, I have noted what the noble Lord, Lord Kennet, said, and as would be the normal practice on such questions in your Lordships' House they will be studied with care both in my department and by my colleagues with responsibility for this part of the world.

§ Lord Molloy
My Lords, will the noble Baroness agree that if there is no reasonably quick solution to this problem the war between Iraq and Iran could spread to other parts of the Gulf? This could have a deleterious effect on many countries in the West and indeed on the United States of America. The British Foreign Secretary has endeavoured to stop the spread of this war. That is why he was so influential in getting Resolution 582 at least accepted by the Iraqi Government. Is not the time quickly approaching when, to make a reality of stopping this war, which is what we believe in, the world or the world forces of the United Nations will have to think of some form of force in the Gulf to stop the war spreading, or it could engulf us all one way or another? The world would be well advised to listen to the views of the British Foreign Secretary.

§ Baroness Young
Yes, my Lords, I can confirm that we wish to see the earliest possible end to this conflict and that we support all realistic initiatives, especially those through the United Nations.

§ Lord Mellish
My Lords, how can the British Government stop this war? It is between two barmy factions anyway. Is this not a lesson to every body throughout the world, particularly to those who sincerely hold the pacifist view? This is one of the reasons why some of us believe that we must have necessary armaments—to deal with people like this who are bonkers.

§ Baroness Young
My Lords, the noble Lord will appreciate from what I have said that we do not believe that we have a simple solution to ending the war, but we are supporting those who are trying to get a negotiated settlement.

§ Lord Molloy
My Lords, will the noble Baroness not agree that there were some people who thought that what was happening in Germany was being carried out by a government who were bonkers? We had to pay a massive bill to prevent that particular form of government ruling Europe, if not the world.

The Earl of Halsbury
My Lords, in terms of the simile of the noble Lord, Lord Paget, are we not waiting for a monstrous crow?