§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from whom he obtained the English translation of the statement broadcast by Iraqi Radio on 15 February; if he will place a copy in the Library; if he is aware of any discrepancies in translation of the broadcast; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. SillarsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the time and date when his office first received from the Government of Iraq their statement of 15 February in both Arabic and English.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggWe received a full English text of the Iraqi statement, translated by the BBC monitoring service, during the early afternoon of 15 February. A copy of the Arabic text was received, also from the BBC, later that afternoon. In the late afternoon of 16 February we received an English text issued by the Iraqi Government, which was the same in all major respects as the BBC translation. I am arranging for copies of both texts to be placed in the Library.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent conditions have been set by the Austrian Government concerning the issuing of permits for the overflight of Austrian territories by British aircraft flying to the Gulf region.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe details of bilateral arrangements with other countries covering military overflights are classified and it is not our policy to comment on such matters.