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Oral Answers
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Adjournment owing to the confusion the right hon. 'Member?
Mr. Speaker: That would be unique in Parliamentary procedure.
Oral Answers
choice of words? He referred to "de- testation". Is it not the case that the Government are at present negotiating a form of barter whereby this country takes £40 million-worth of Greek tobacco which she does not want in exchange for the supply of a nuclear power station? How does he reconcile that with his choice of the word
detestation/?
Mr. Stewart: The hon. Gentleman must have been in the House for a long time without listening to anything if he has not grasped by now that com- mercial transactions are often carried out between Governments which strongly dis- approve of each other's political systems. [Interruption.] I refer, of course, to commercial transactions that are not of a military nature, as this one is not. It does not apply where there is an express resolution of the Security Council, to which the Conservatiye Government assented, as there is in the case of arms for South Africa.
Mr. Speaker: Order, Long answers mean fewer Questions.
Mr. Paget: Does not my right hon. Friend feel that in /the circumstances it is somewhat odd that we should be show- ing such a marked preference for Greek tobacco as against Rhodesian tobacco, particularly when the payment is to be in nuclear capacity?
Mr. Stewart Jose-
Mr. Hugh Fraser: On a point of order.
Mr. Speaker: Order. The Secretary of State must be allowed to answer be- fore the right hon. member for Stafford and Stone puts his point of order.
Mr. Stewart: When my hon. Friend tries to equate Greece with Rhodesia he forgets two things: first, that there are some very important United Nations de- cisions about Rhodesia and, secondly, that it is in rebellion against the Crown.
Mr. Hugh Fraser: Owing to the con- fusion of the right hon. Gentleman, I beg to give notice that I shall raise this
matter on the Adjournment.
Mr. Speaker: Order. Notice should be/given in the conventional way.
Mr. Stewart: Further to that point of order. May I raise the matter on the
23 D 22
Greek Foreign Minister (Meeting)
30. Mr. John Fraser asked the Secre- tary of State for Foreign and Common- wealth Affairs whether he will/make a statement about his mecting/on 16th April, 1969, with the Greek Foreign Minister.
Mr. M. Stewart: No, Sir.
Mr. Fraser Can my right hon. Friend say whether he has received any assur- ances from Mr. Pipinelis about the return to democratic rule and whether anything was said to him which would lend credi- bility to those assurafices, since other words spoken by Greek leaders, especi ally Mr. Papadopoulos, bore no shred of truth or credibility in them?
Mr. Stewart: No, Sir. These discus- sions were confidential.
Dr. John Dunwoody: I accept that much of what takes place in these dis- cussions must femain confidential, but can my right hon. Friend at least assure the House that he told the Greek Foreign Minister of the abhorrence with which the Greek régime is viewed by many hon. Members on both sides of the House? Furthermore, did my right hon. Friend discuss the question of arms supplies?
Mr. Stewart: I repeat: the discussions were confidential. As I have already said, the Greek Government are well aware of our views of the situation in Greece.
Mr. Eldon Griffiths: Can the right hon. Gentleman confirm that the Inter- national Labour Organisation decided to take Greece back only 14 days ago?
Mr. Stewart: That is a different question.
Hong Kong (Mainland Tunnel)
+34. Mr. Humphrey Atkins asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Com- monwealth Affairs what progress has been made by the Hong Kong Govern- ment with their plans for the construction of a tunnel between Hong Kong and the mainland.
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