§ 59. Mr. Townsendasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a further statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy towards threats to human rights in the USSR and elsewhere in the light of recent cases.
§ Mr. LuardI would refer the hon. Member to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave to his supplementary question on 15th March; to the answer which my right hon. Friend gave to Questions by the hon. Member for Blackpool, South (Mr. Blaker) on 2nd March; and to that which I gave to a Question by the hon. Member for Mid-Bedfordshire (Mr. Hastings) on 10th March. I would also draw the hon. Member's attention to the speech which my right hon. Friend made to the Diplomatic and Commonwealth Writers' Association on 3rd March in which he described the Government's policy on detente, including the handling of human rights questions. A copy of this speech has been placed in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise in the UN Commission for Human Rights the situation in East Timor and allegations of mass murder by Indonesian forces.
§ Mr. LuardThe 1977 session of the United Nations Commission for Human Rights has already concluded, and the Commission is not due to meet again until 1978. In the meantime, in the context of the existing friendly relationship with Indonesia, the Government will be in touch with them about then allegations.