§ Captain Kerbyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will instruct the permanent British representative at the United Nations Organisation to move for the setting up of a special committee to control the sale and delivery of foreign armaments to the African Continent, as a first step towards regulating the growing stresses of the ideological war between East and West on that Continent amongst those States which have recently been granted independence and freedom within the British Commonwealth, and those other States which anticipate independence in the near future.
§ Mr. ProfumoNo. It would be difficult to justify, or to commend to African opinion the suggestion that Africa should be singled out for special action of this kind by the United Nations Organisation. All sovereign States have a right to arm for their self-defence and internal security. Her Majesty's Government already take all possible precautions to prevent arms getting into the hands of those likely to use them for 177W aggressive purposes. They hope that other powers will exercise similar restraint in exporting arms to Africa, as elsewhere. If the African countries agreed among themselves on any arrangements to avoid excessive expenditure on armaments, this would of course be welcomed by Her Majesty's Government.