§ Viscount Brentfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why "it is wrong to compare the situations in East Timor and Kuwait"—(Hansard, 30/1/92, col. 1418), when each independent country was attacked and conquered by a stronger neighbour.
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (The Earl of Caithness)Kuwait is an independent state and a member of the United Nations. East Timor was not. We believe that in the particular circumstances in East Timor, the problems are best addressed by means of contacts under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General.