§ 61. Mr. A. Hendersonasked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will make a statement on the protests delivered by Her Majesty's Government to the Soviet Government on the recent activities of Soviet fighter aircraft in the air corridors to Berlin.
§ Mr. HeathThe British Ambassador in Moscow delivered anAide-Memoire to the Soviet Government on the 15th of February protesting against Soviet violations of the established procedures for flight safety in the Berlin air corridors. I am arranging for a copy of the Aide-Memoire to be placed in the Library of the House.
Her Majesty's Government take a most serious view of current Soviet activities in the corridors, which could easily lead to incidents. The corridors are for the unrestricted use of the four Powers, subject to the long-established procedures for flight safety, and no one Power has the right to arrogate to itself the exclusive right to certain flight levels for a long period of time as the Soviet Union is attempting to do. We and our American and French allies will continue to exercise our legitimate rights to fly in the corridors according to the rules that have long been agreed between ourselves and the Soviet Union.