Mr. Ted Fletcherasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, in view of the absence of a satisfactory explanation for the treatment of Dr. Sheila Cassidy, he will now break off diplomatic relations with the Government of Chile.
§ Mr. RowlandsI am not at present considering such a step. However, our relations with Chile are under constant review.
Mr. Ted Fletcherasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why the United Kingdom representative did not vote against the application of the Chilean Government for loans from the World Bank.
§ Mr. RowlandsThe Articles of Agreement of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, to which the United Kingdom has subscribed, require that only economic considerations shall be relevant to loan decisions. There was no justification for opposing the loans to Chile on these grounds. We therefore abstained. Had it not been for the provisions in the Articles, we would have considered opposing the loans because of Chile's position on human rights.