§ 26. Mr Churchillasked the Lord Privy Seal what requests for military and civil aid Her Majesty's Government have received from representatives of the Afghan patriots resisting the Soviet forces of occupation; and what reply they have been given.
§ Mr. BlakerI have nothing to add to the reply which my hon. Friend gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Burton (Mr. Lawrence) on 7 July.—[Vol. 988, c.42.]
§ 31. Mr. Whitneyasked the Lord Privy Seal if Her Majesty's Government have any plans to mobilise an international call for the creation of an independent and democratic Afghanistan.
§ Mr. BlakerThe Government, with their partners in the Nine, have been working for a neutral and non-aligned Afghanistan outside competition among the powers. I refer my hon. Friend to the declaration of the European Council issued on 13 June and the statement following the Venice summit on 21 June.— [Vol. 987, c. 231–53.]
§ 38. Mr. Knoxasked the Lord Privy Seal whether he intends to propose any 567W further EEC action concerning Afghanistan at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers.
§ Mr. BlakerMy right hon. Friend and his European colleagues will be continuing to discuss Afghanistan, although I cannot say whether there will be such discussion at the Foreign Affairs Council on 22 July. Herr Schmidt, in his recent visit to Moscow, made plain to Mr. Brezhnev and the Soviet leadership the Nine's resolve to continue to work for a solution which will leave the Afghan people free to return to their traditional neutrality and non-alignment.