HL Deb 17 January 1978 vol 388 cc85-7WA
Lord MORRIS

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What steps have been taken to deny The Times newspaper's assertion of 14th December that "Britain is anxious to get rid of the Falkland Islands as of all its remaining Colonial possessions" and thus alleviate the obvious distress which the report has caused.

Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS

The policy of Her Majesty's Government towards our Dependent Territories was clearly defined by my honourable friend Mr. Edward Rowlands in another place on the 21st December 1976. In the case of the Falkland Islands, Mr. Rowlands met an Islander delegation in Rio de Janeiro on the 18th December for a full exchange of views. This meeting has provided the Islanders with the reassurances they sought, as the following statement issued by the Islands councillors on their return to Port Stanley makes clear:

Mr. Ted Rowlands, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, met representatives of the Falkland Islands Council in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, 18th December. He gave them a full account of the negotiations in New York from 13th to 15th December with the Argentine delegation led by Captain Allara. These negotiations had been conducted on the basis of the terms of reference announced in the Statement of 26th April 1977, and covered the two themes of political relations, including sovereignty, and Anglo-Argentine economic co-operation.

There was a friendly and wide ranging exchange of views, during which Mr. Rowlands explained the functions of the two working groups which are to be established at official level to study the issues in detail on an ad referendum basis to Ministers.

Mr. Rowlands emphasised that negotiations were still continuing and reaffirmed that the British Government would not put proposals to Parliament which were unacceptable to the Islanders. He stressed that the primary British concern was for the Islanders, their wishes and their welfare.

Mr. Rowlands made it clear that if the Islands' Councils wished to appoint a representative or representatives to participate in substantive rounds of negotiations, he would be glad to have them as members of the British delegation. Whatever decision the Islanders made on this point, there would be the fullest consultation with them.

The Islands' councillors made clear their concern about early progress on economic development in the Islands. Mr. Rowlands assured the councillors of the British determination to push ahead with current projects as soon as possible. In particular he expressed the British intention to help to improve internal communications including the construction of an all weather track from Darwin to Stanley, and said that £1 million could be made available for expenditure on internal communications next year, if the money could be spent in that time. He also said that tender documents for the new school hostel would issue in the next few weeks and construction should start before next June.

The Islands' representatives expressed their appreciation of Mr. Rowlands' clear exposition of the current state of negotiations, and were grateful for his assurances on the consultation and development aid.