IN BRITAIN TODAY Douglas-Home’s Warning

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32078, 28 August 1969, Page 23

IN BRITAIN TODAY Douglas-Home’s Warning

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter Copyright. Cable News Digest) LONDON. Sir Alec DouglasHome, a former Prime Minister and now the Opposition spokesman on foreign affairs, has given a warning that Soviet Union submarines may be used to support subversion east of Suez after British troops have been withdrawn from the area at the end of 1971. “Leave a gap and somebody else fills it,” Sir Alec

Douglas-Home says in a Con-| servative Party pamphlet 1 called, “Britain’s Place in the. World.”

Analysing Soviet Union in.l tentions, Sir Alec Douglas-' Home says: “Today Russia is looking' over her shoulder at China,; and she cannot be happy with; what she sees. “Should the Russians re-; insure with the United States and the West, the picture would change out of all recognition. Until then—vigilance.”

Sir Alex Douglas-Home says that the Labour Government’s time-table for the withdrawal of troops from the Persion Gulf and South-east Asia is “far too short for safety.” “British presence in these' areas denies a possible enemy, trying to stir the pot of, trouble," he says. “Britain should stay in the Far East until a clearer idea of Russian policy emerges.” Noting the rapid growth in the Soviet Union's submarine; fleet, Sir Alec Douglas-Home j says these vessels could be used along the trade routes; used by Britain and Europe to obtain oil.

“It may be that this Russian fleet may be used as the backing force behind the subverted, let us say, in the Gulf area. I doubt if the Soviet Union has made up her mind.”

The former British leader says that Britain draws a net profit of about £3oom a year from the areas concerned, and he goes on: "It is a fair forecast that were we to leave these areas entirely, that profit would diminish, and part of it would be taken by other people who would come in and take the British place. “And so, in our view, comparative political stability in the Gulf and in Singapore is desirable, and worth helping to sustain."

Sir Alec Douglas-Home says that he is not in the least despondent about the world situation, but he warns Britain to remain alert. “The future of West Germany could be a cause for concern,” he says. "Should the United States be tempted to withdraw to any serious degree, Germany would become uneasy and would be tempted to agitate to acquire her own nuclear weapons. “This would immediately destroy European unity and greatly increase the danger of war.”

I It has 18 rooms, including an art gallery, four bathrooms and t,wo flats for staff.

i And dotted around the i grounds are a swimming 'pool, a cricket pitch, four I cottages, a lodge at the gates, and a stable block which at I the moment houses two .donkeys, ; The Lennons’ near neighbours include Norman Hartnell, the Queen’s dress designer. Windsor Worry Officials at Windsor, Berkshire, are complaining that American airliners flying home from London are making a slight detour to take ■ them over Windsor Castle to ; give passengers a peek at one of the Queen's several homes. I “The noise causes tremendous stress and strain to Windsor residents," says the i town’s health officer (Mr Geoffrey Holin-s). “Once, a painter fell off a ladder bei cause the noise was so great." | The complaint has been made officially after a threei month study by council officials and Windsor Castle staff. The airlines most blamed are Trans-World Airlines and Pan American Airways, but the West German airline, Lufthansa, is also a target of criticism, A Pan American official, however, commented: “We have better things to do .than show Windsor Castle to passengers.” And a T.W.A. spokesman said: “Reputable airline captains don’t go in for that sort of thing.” Lufthansa’s last word: “Our aircraft fly strictly in accordance with regulations.” The Board of Trade is looking into Windsor’s complaint. Move To Ban Germ Warfare

Britain has presented to the disarmament conference in Geneva of representatives of 25 nations a revised version of its draft convention to outlaw biological weapons.

with the aim of countering criticism made since the plan was first tabled last month. The new draft, introduced by the British delegate (Mr Ivor Porter), does not change the main objects of the original one, but it tries to take the steam out of objections, expressed especially by Communist delegations, that the earlier version would weaken the 1925 Geneva protocol, which bans the use of gas or bacteriological weapons. The British draft would ban not only the use of biological weapons but also the possession and manufacture of them. It does not cover chemical weapons. In its rewritten form, it calls on nations to renounce biological weapons insofar as they are not already committed under other treaties prohibiting chemical and germ warfare.

Observers have little doubt that this will not overcome the basic objections of a number of countries, especially the Communist ones, to the separation of biological from chemical weapons. Britain’s view is that agreement would be easier to reach on banning germ warfare agents than on chemical weapons.

The United Arab Republic has given its support to the Soviet line that the two types of weapons should not be separated.

The U.A.R. delegate (Mr Hussein Khailaf) said: “The mere existence of two international instruments dealing in a more or less different way with the same subject could create unnecessary confusion and difficulties." Mr Khailaf called for a closer study of ways to check on possible violations of a germ weapons ban, suggesting that the British draft did not provide solid enough controls.

Mr Khailaf backed a Mongolian proposal that the United Nations General Assembly should appeal to all governments which have not yet done so to sign the Geneva protocol. Less than half the United Nations membership adheres to it.