§ Mr. Warbeyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in order to facilitate negotiations for a peaceful settlement of the Vietnam problem, he 218W will seek to enter into diplomatic relations with the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Northern Zone, on a basis of reciprocity and at a level equivalent to Her Majesty's Government's diplomatic relations with the Government of the Republic of Vietnam, Southern Zone.
§ Mr. George ThomsonNo. The fact that we recognise only the Government of the Republic of Vietnam does not restrict our ability to have contact with the North Vietnamese authorities over the possibility of a peaceful settlement in Vietnam. The North Vietnamese took part in the Geneva Conferences of 1954 and 1962, at both of which Her Majesty's Government made clear that neither the invitation nor the holding of the Conference should be deemed to imply diplomatic recognition in any case where it had not been previously accorded. The obstacles to our exploring with the North Vietnamese the possibility of a peaceful settlement come from them alone. The recent refusal of the North Vietnamese to receive Mr. Gordon Walker was due to their unwillingness to explore the possibility of a peaceful settlement and not to the lack of adequate channels of communication.