§ Mr. Bakerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if Her Majesty's Government, in advance of any United Nations action, will give the Jordanian Government an assurance that they will give Jordan every support in resisting the aggression across her frontier by members of the Israeli forces.
§ Mr. NuttingHer Majesty's Government have a Treaty of Alliance with Jordan (Command 7404) under which the parties have undertaken,inter alia, the following obligations:
- (a) Should any dispute between either party and a third state produce a situation which would involve the risk of a rupture with that state, the parties will concert together, with a view to the settlement of such a dispute by peaceful means.
- (b) Should either party, nevertheless, become engaged in war, the other party will, subject to the rights and obligations flowing from the United Nations Charter or any other existing international agreements, immediately come to his aid as a measure of collective defence.
404 - (c) In the event of an imminent menace of hostilities, the parties will immediately concert together necessary measures of defence.
Her Majesty's Government have, moreover, in the statement which they made jointly with the Governments of the United States of America and France on 25th May, 1950, declared their unalterable opposition to the use of force or threat of force between any of the states in the Middle East area.
My hon. Friend will recall that with regard to the Qibya incident, Her Majesty's Government have vigorously condemned this attack and have taken steps to bring it to the attention of the Security Council, in concert with the other signatories of the Tripartite Declaration of 1950.