§ 69. Mr. K. Robinsonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the policy of Her Majesty's Government in regard to the declared intention of the South Vietnam Government to hold a general election in Southern Vietnam at an early date; and to what extent this action is in conformity with the decisions reached at the Geneva Conference on Indo-China.
§ Lord John HopeThe intention of the Government of Vietnam to hold a general election at an early date in the territory under their administration is a matter of that Government's internal policy. Her Majesty's Government's attitude remains as stated in Article 12 of the Final Declaration of the Geneva Conference on Indo-China, by which Her Majesty's Government, together with the other members of the Conference, undertook to refrain from interference in the internal affairs of Vietnam. In reply to the second part of the Question, there is nothing in the Geneva Settlement to limit the exercise of the Vietnamese Government's sovereignty in this respect.