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Dependent Territories
15 APRIL 1983
Middle East
1112
Middle East
demanded of all British troops. There is no evidence to support the outrageous allegations that he has broadcast again today. I hope that that will be enough for him.
Bermuda was mentioned by the hon. Member for Newham, South (Mr. Spearing). It has the oldest Parliament outside Westminster, so I am afraid that his information was wrong. Independence can always be put to the people of Bermuda in a referendum and may well be so put by the new Government if they think it right.
Mr. Spearing: I apologise to the House, the Minister and the people of Bermuda. I did not see the heading "Senate", which, of course, by its nature cannot be elected.
Mr. Onslow: I am glad that that is clear. I think it might be best if I wrote to my hon. Friend the Member for Essex, South-East (Sir B. Braine), whom I am sorry not to see, about some of the points that he raised. I assure the House that the present shipping service to St. Helena and Ascension is entirely adequate and is as good now as it was before the Falklands conflict, if not better.
I have to be brief, and I hope that the House will excuse me for that. There are points that I have not covered and I have explained what I shall seek to do about that. However, I hope that my hon. Friend the Member for Orpington will agree that the Government can be relied on to defend the best interests of our dependencies and to promote their political and economic progress, and that we shall have his full support in our continuing efforts to do that.
1.38 pm
Mr. Stanbrook: I am grateful to those hon. Members who have contributed to this useful debate. I hope that my hon. Friend the Minister will have time during his period in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to read all the contributions and consider all the ideas that have been put forward, which I believe deserve rather greater attention, interest and consideration than he appears to have given them in his closing speech.
I beg to ask leave to withdraw the motion. Mption, by leave, withdrawn.
1.39 pm
Mr. Peter Temple-Morris (Leominster): I beg to
move,
That this House, whilst it might feel disposed to disagree with and even condemn Israel for her expansionist policies with particular reference to West Bank settlements and for her invasion of, and conduct and continued presence in, the Lebanon, and likewise might question the lack of unity and foresight in the Arab World including the Palestine Liberation Organisation, is far more concerned with achieving peace in the Middle East; in this regard, in recognising both the rights of the State of Israel to exist within its pre-1967 borders and the Palestinians eventually to have an independent sovereign state, calls on all parties involved to make progress based on President Reagan's current Peace Initiative, to which there is no feasible alternative at the present time; urges the United States of America to exercise the necessary pressure on Israel, not least as to its presence in the Lebanon and its settlements policy on the West Bank, in order to give United States proposals a reasonable chance of success; urges everyone concerned to influence moderate Arab opinion and the Palestine Liberation Organisation to act in the best interests of those living on the West Bank as well as Palestines as a whole; and emphasizes that failure now can only encourage the extremes on both sides with very serious consequences for all.
I know that many hon. Members wish to speak and I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office for recognising in the previous debate the need to allow as many hon. Members as possible to take part in this debate. I cannot promise that this will be the finest speech that I have ever made. I intend to put my head down and try to get through it, and, therefore, I appeal to hon. Members not to encourage me to take part in detailed argument, even though they may be tempted to interrupt me, because I, as a generous hon. Member, may be tempted to give way.
As is implicit in the motion, I hope that we shall try to rise above the normal, and in present circumstances perhaps unavoidable, sectarian exchanges that tend to creep into our proceedings, whether in debates or at Question Time.
My motion tries to reflect matters fairly and I hope that my speech will appeal to moderate Israeli opinion as much as toArab opinion. As an example of my bona fides in introducing the debate, I declare my personal interest in the issues involved. Most hon. Members know that my view has always been pro-Arab, but it has never been blindly one-sided and I have always tried to put a reasonably balanced case. As proof of that, I cite the facts that, with hon. Members from both sides of the House, I had the pleasure of meeting Chairman Arafat and the pleasure of lunching alone with Ambassador Shlomo Argov, a month or two before the disgraceful attack on him in Park Lane.
So that hon. Members know what I shall be dealing with, let me list the subjects of my speech in the order in which I shall deal with them. I shall make some comments about Israel, which may not necessarily be to Israel's pleasure, but will, I hope, be fair; I shall speak about the Arabs and the PLO; most importantly, I shall talk about the role of the United States and, if I have time, I shall end with a few words about Europe and about Britain's role.
I understand that Israel is ruled by those who lived through the holocaust. Therefore, we are dealing with a leadership, a nation and a people to whom the security and survival-I use the word advisedly-of the state are of the utmost importance. The motion does not dispute, and
571