South Africa: Oil Exports Embargo (Hansard, 8 March 1988)

§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Glenarthur)
My Lords, yes, but we adhere to the agreement by European Council Foreign Ministers in September 1985 and the Commonwealth Accord of the same year which ban the export of oil to South Africa.

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
My Lords, if the British Government were serious about what the Minister has just said about the ban imposed at Luxembourg three years ago by the European Community and the Commonwealth Accord, would they not be trying to assist the intergovernmental organisation set up to monitor how the ban, with which they agree, is being circumvented?

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, that may be the noble Lord's point of view, but we disagree with it. The resolution to which he refers is not binding. There is no obligation upon us to respond to alleged violations of an embargo to which we do not subscribe.

§ Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos
My Lords, will the Minister say whether Her Majesty's Government are prepared to supply information to the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers group which was set up in Vancouver? Secondly, are they satisfied that no North Sea oil is reaching South Africa via third parties?

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, on the latter part of the noble Lord's supplementary question, the agreements which were reached and which concern United Kingdom guidelines have excluded exports of United Kingdom Continental Shelf crude oil to South Africa since 1979. It would be difficult to be certain that no oil gets through under any circumstances; but nevertheless the guidelines which were then established remain firm today. I am not sure that I followed the drift of the first part of the noble Lord's supplementary question. If he would repeat it, I should be prepared and happy to answer it.

§ Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos
My Lords, as the noble Lord will recall, at the Vancouver conference a Commonwealth Foreign Ministers group was set up 560 to monitor the position in South Africa. As I understand it, it has been reported that Her Majesty's Government are not supplying the information that the group wants. Will the Minister confirm that Her Majesty's Government are complying with the request?

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, the noble Lord reverts to the proposal put forward by the noble Lord, Lord Hatch, unless I have misunderstood him. The answer is that we do not co-operate with that group. We disagree with the basis of the Question asked by the noble Lord, Lord Hatch, because the resolution to which it referred was not binding.

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
My Lords, the resolution may not have been binding, but will the noble Lord return to my original Question? If the Government are sincere about the EC and Commonwealth embargo on oil, what are they doing to prevent an evasion of the decision? If they are not giving evidence to the intergovernmental committee, what are they doing? What is their line when that intergovernmental group makes a report which suggests that British industrial interests, such as the BP subsidiary in South Africa and Trafalgar House, are making, and hoping to make further profits from South African efforts to get round the embargo by converting offshore gas into oil? Is it the British Government's view that the profits of British companies are more important than international authority?

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, the noble Lord invites me to suggest ways in which we might take stronger measures to prevent the supply and shipment of oil and petroleum products to South Africa. The existing measures that we have taken are intended to send political signals to the South African Government of our strong opposition to apartheid and to the need for urgent fundamental change. The noble Lord knows full well that further punitive economic sanctions would only hurt those whom we wish to help and furthermore would prolong the conflict. He may not agree but nevertheless that is the view of the Government. It may seem to the noble Lord to be a long haul but there are no alternatives to working for peaceful change. I recommend it to him.

Lord Winstanley
My Lords, may I ask a simple and more direct question? Since the Government have made clear that they are not in favour of sanctions against South Africa, are the Government in favour of the breach of sanctions applied by others?

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, what I am concerned about at this Dispatch Box is to advocate Her Majesty's Government's policy, not necessarily the policies of other nations. What I have said stands. We oppose a comprehensive oil embargo; furthermore, we maintain that the United Kingdom guidelines on oil are effective.

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
My Lords, the noble Lord has misinterpreted what I said. I said nothing about punitive sanctions nor any additional sanctions. I asked the Government quite straightforwardly 561 whether they had agreed on an embargo. If so, is it not common sense to make that embargo effective by monitoring it and for the British Government to give evidence to the organisation which is monitoring it?

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, the noble Lord seems to have somewhat changed the tenor of his question, unless I have misunderstood him. What I said is that we have made it clear to oil companies that they are expected to abide by the guidelines of the European Community and Commonwealth undertakings. We would take a serious view of any breaches. As I said earlier, however, there is no evidence to suggest that companies are not complying.