§ 74. Mr. Dykesasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made by the special Commonwealth Study Group set up to examine the provision of arms to South Africa.
§ Sir Alec Douglas-HomeThe purpose of the Study Group to which my hon. Friend is presumably referring is not to examine British policy on arms sales but to consider in the broadest terms the factors affecting the security of maritime trade routes in the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans, which are of real importance for a large number of Commonwealth countries. The Commonwealth Secretary-General is in touch with the Governments which are to be represented on the Study Group, with a view to enabling an early start to be made.