§ Q16. Mr. Mendelsonasked the Prime Minister what communication he has received from the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics concerning the recall of the Fourteen-Power Geneva Conference to deal with the serious situation in Laos; and what reply he has sent on behalf of Her Majesty's Government.
§ The Prime MinisterOn 26th July the Soviet Government published a declaration addressed to the participants in the Geneva Conference on Laos of 1961– 62. The declaration, which had been handed to Her Majesty's Ambassador in Moscow the day before, called for the reconvening in August of the Fourteen-Power Conference on Laos. It went on to state that in the event of other States adopting a negative attitude to the Soviet proposal, the Soviet Government might have to consider whether they could usefully continue to fulfil their functions as one of the two Co-Chairmen. A copy of the418W full text of the Soviet Government's declaration has been placed in the Library.
Her Majesty's Government have not yet sent a formal reply as the matter is being discussed in Moscow by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary with the Soviet Foreign Minister.