Namibia: UN Security Council (Hansard, 7 April 1989)

§ The Minister of State for Defence Procurement (Lord Trefgarne)
My Lords, the Security Council was given a confidential report by the UN Secretary General on 3rd April on the fighting in northern Namibia. We are doing our utmost, both in New York and elsewhere, to restore the ceasefire in Namibia and to get all parties to abide by their obligations under the UN plan for Namibian independence.

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
My Lords, will the noble Lord tell the House whether British Government policy this week has been under the control of the Prime Minister since her visit to Windhoek last Saturday? During this week she has given uncritical support to the South African case and has shown her ignorance of the facts by stating to the other House on Tuesday that all the relevant documents were available. They were not. The Geneva Protocol has not been published. Is the noble Lord aware that the United Nations declares that it has no knowledge of the Geneva Protocol which is the only document mentioning the Sixteenth Parallel in Angola? Is he further aware that the document that the Prime Minister said was available in the Library—the Secretary General's reportߞhas now been declared classified? Finally——

Noble Lords
Order!

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
My Lords, finally, is the noble Lord aware that, under Resolution 435, as interpreted by the Secretary General of the United Nations this year, provision was made for SWAPO forces inside Namibia: to be restricted to base at designated locations inside Namibia to be specified by the Special Representative after necessary consultation". Is the noble Lord aware of those facts?

Noble Lords
Order!

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
My Lords, is the noble Lord aware— —

§ The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Belstead)
My Lords, I believe that the purpose of Question Time is to elicit information. Perhaps the noble Lord will keep to that purpose.

§ Lord Trefgarne
My Lords, perhaps I may touch on two points from the list raised by the noble Lord. First, the policy in this matter is a United Kingdom Government policy which is pronounced by the Prime Minister or the Foreign Secretary or whoever else, according to the occasion. There is therefore no question of the policy being driven by one Minister or another, as the noble Lord suggested. As for the question of an assembly point, or a point of collection in Namibia, that is not part of the United Nations plan, and SWAPO knows that.

§ Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos
My Lords, will the noble Lord say whether there is firm evidence that SWAPO troops did in fact cross the border with hostile intent, or whether there is any evidence that they were seeking to contact United Nations officials? Furthermore, will he tell the House when the 7,500 United Nations troops will be in position in Namibia?

§ Lord Trefgarne
My Lords, the number of troops to be deployed under the revised arrangements that were agreed in February of this year is 4,650. The figure of 7,500 was an earlier figure which, it was subsequently decided, was not art appropriate number. The number now is 4,650, of which the United Kingdom contribution, as the noble Lord may be aware, will be a signals unit amounting to some 160, plus a small number of air movements experts. As for the incursion into northern Namibia on 1st April, I am not certain what the motive of the SWAPO forces involved was, but I am clear that their incursion was not in accordance with the United Nations plan.

§ Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos
My Lords, I am much obliged to the noble Lord, but is it not the case that it was made clear during our previous exchange on the subject and, indeed, by the Secretary General, that, if it were necessary to increase the figure beyond 4,600, that would be done even up to the figure of 7,500 which, as the noble Lord has just said, was the original figure agreed? Do not the present circumstances justify an increase beyond the figure of 4,600?

§ Lord Trefgarne
My Lords, as I said, the present figure is 4,650, but the contributing countries have made it clear that they will consider sympathetically requests for further forces if that should prove necessary. That matter will be for the Secretary General to decide in the light of the report that he now has.

§ Lord Kennet
My Lords, will the Minister of State tell the House how many United Nations troops are now in Namibia? Is it correct, as reported in the press, that the figure is only about 300?

§ Lord Trefgarne
My Lords, I do not have the precise figure but, with our forces on their way to Namibia as I speak, including the last contingent of the United Kingdom forces, it is certainly substantially less than 4,650.

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
My Lords, the noble Lord contradicted me in saying that there was no provision for bases for SWAPO forces in Namibia. Is he not aware that the quotation that I gave, which is taken directly from Resolution 435 and was quoted by the Secretary General, stated that SWAPO forces would be based in Namibia under United Nations supervision? I do not know the situation, but is it not very likely that, as the Secretary General has now suggested, SWAPO forces, both in northern Namibia and probably some crossing the border, were seeking out United Nations forces in order to go to their bases to be monitored as was agreed in Resolution 435?

§ Lord Trefgarne
My Lords, it is true that, as long ago as 1979, there was a suggestion that there should be an assembly point inside Namibia, but all that was superseded on at least two occasions by subsequent documents and agreements which made other provision.