§ Mr. Leadbitterasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Middle East situation in so far as the build-up of military equipment affects world peace.
296W
§ Lord BalnielA peace conference is due to open in Geneva on 18th December. We must all hope that this will bring lasting peace to the area. Clearly some form of agreement on the supply of arms would be desirable.
§ Mr. Leadbitterasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if it is the policy of the Government to support a negotiated settlement in the Middle East and reject any threat of oil time-tabling supplies as a condition for agreement ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if he will protest against the Saudi Arabia declaration that there will be two timetables, an Israeli withdrawal timetable and the oil supply timetable, on the grounds that this principle is damaging to a Middle East settlement and not acceptable as a part of any United Kingdom policy towards any sovereign State similarly threatened.
§ Lord BalnielIt is of course our policy, and always has been, to support a negotiated settlement in the Middle East. It would be unrealistic not to recognise that, as my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said on 19th November, the only permanent answer to the problem of oil supplies is a speedy and permanent peace settlement in the Middle East.—[Vol. 364, c. 985.]
§ Mr. Leadbitterasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a further statement on the policy of Her Majesty's Government in respect of arms supplies to the Middle East countries.
§ Lord BalnielI have nothing to add to the answer which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Walthamstow, East (Mr. Michael McNair-Wilson) on 19th November.—[Vol. 864, c. 336.]