§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Prime Minister whether he will make available to the House the statement issued by his office on 9th April regarding the purported discussion by the Cabinet of proposals for intervention by British Armed Forces in the fighting between Israel and Egypt in June, 1967.
§ The Prime MinisterYes. The following is the statement:
PRESS NOTICE
Stories in certain newspapers this morning that the Cabinet considered a plan for British forces to intervene in the fighting in the Middle East which began on 5th June, 1967, are entirely without foundation. It is suggested that the so-called plan involved armed intervention to separate the combatants and that "Cairo would be told that unless the war stopped, British forces would have no alternative but to start a bombardment".
At no time, either before or during the fighting, was such a plan considered by the Cabinet or even formulated. The statement that such a plan was supported by the Prime Minister and the then Foreign Secretary is totally false. It was not at any time considered by the Prime Minister or any of his colleagues.
On the question of the Straits of Tiran throughout the period up to the outbreak of fighting on 5th June, and in particular the Government's policy to consult other maritime nations about freedom of passage, with which the articles did not purport to deal, the Government's position was stated by the Prime Minister and Mr. Brown in the debate on 31st May, 1967, and in answer to a Parliamentary Question by the Prime Minister on 4th July, and in other public statements made by the Prime Minister during his visit to North America between 1st and 3rd June, 1967.—[Vol. 747. c. 103–14, c. 199–212; Vol. 749, c. 1564–5.]