Mr. Colin Jacksonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how long Her Majesty's Government intend to provide military guarantees for the Trucial Omanate States.
§ Mr. George ThomsonHer Majesty's Government consider that it is in the mutual interest of ourselves and the88W Rulers and in the general interest of peace and stability in the area that we should continue to carry out our obligations to the Trucial States.
It is the Government's policy to encourage co-operation not only between the States themselves but also between the States and their larger neighbours in the area. We hope that this will eventually result in the establishment of an alternative system of security. It is impossible at this stage to predict how long it will be before this comes about.