§ 65. Mr. Zilliacusasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will give an assurance that the Government will, in connection with its discussions about peace in Vietnam, seek to ensure observance of the United Nations Charter, which forbids the use of force or threats of force by one party to bring the other to the conference table or to compel it to accept a settlement desired by the party resorting to force or threats of force.
§ Mr. William RodgersWe hope that all parties to the conflict, whether or not they are members of the United Nations, will respect the principles embodied in the United Nations Charter.
§ 68. Dr. David Kerrasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the total destruction by United States bulldozers and other means of the South Vietnamese town of Ben Suc, he will inform the United States Government that Her Majesty's Government dissociate themselves from this form of warfare as being contrary to the Geneva Convention.
§ Mr. William RodgersNo. The United States Government have stated that they are applying the provisions of the 1949 Geneva Conventions in regard to the hostilities in Vietnam and that the operation to which my hon. Friend refers was aimed at strictly military objectives. I understand that the civilian population were all evacuated to places of safety before the operation began.