§ 121. Mr. Blakerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement on the recent visit to the United Kingdom of the Foreign 68W Minister of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
§ 122. Mr. Parkasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the discussions which have been held with Mr. Gromyko.
§ 123. Mr. Ensorasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the deteriorating situation in Vietnam, he will make a statement concerning his talks with Mr. Gromyko, the Foreign Minister of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
§ Mr. George ThomsonI am having copies of the communiqué issued at the end of Mr. Gromyko's visit placed in the Library. During the visit, there was a wide exchange of views on major international questions and on matters of more strictly bilateral interest. In the discussion on South-East Asia, it was agreed that the situation in Vietnam was a matter of grave concern, but we failed to convince Mr. Gromyko of the possibility now of constructive co-operation by the two Co-Chairmen in the interests of peace. The obligation of the two Co-Chairmen to make recommendations on the future of the International Control Commission in Laos was also discussed. Her Majesty's Government made clear their firm intention to continue to assist Malaysia in maintaining her independence and territorial integrity against outside attacks.
There was a full discussion of disarmament questions during which we stressed the importance which Her Majesty's Government attached to an early resumption of the disarmament negotiations at Geneva.
The communiqué records the desire of the two governments to contribute to the strengthening of the United Nations Organisation. In this connection, we emphasised to Mr. Gromyko the need for co-operation among the powers concerned to ensure the success of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping in finding an acceptable basis for such activities and a solution to the problem of United Nations finances.
A discussion of the German problem made it clear that there is still a wide divergence of views between us.
In the discussions on bilateral matters, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary expressed the hope that the Soviet 69W authorities would look with sympathy on applications from people in the Soviet Union to join close relatives in the United Kingdom, as well as on marriages between young people from the two countries.
My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade represented to Mr. Gromyko the importance attached in this country to a more satisfactory balance in trade with the Soviet Union.
Mr. Gromykoconfirmed Mr. Kosygin's intention to visit this country. There will be further discussion through diplomatic channels on the problem of finding mutually convenient dates. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has accepted an invitation to visit the Soviet Union; the time for this visit will be determined through the same channels.