British Labour foreign policy

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33235, 26 May 1973, Page 15

British Labour foreign policy

(N.Z.P.A. -Reuter—Copyright) [ LONDON, May 25. ‘ The British Labour t Party yesterday pub- ; lished a draft foreign, policy document which j could radically alter < British policy in Europe, 1 Southern Africa and ( the developing world if the Opposition Party were to win next year’s < expected General Elec- i tions. I The document, to be de-) j j bated at Labour’s annual con- t Terence, was prepared by the ) party’s national executive ‘committee “with the intention •; (that it will serve as the basis , ) of Labour’s foreign policy . thinking in the decade ; ahead.” i On Europe the document p ) reiterated Labour’s pledge , to renegotiate British entry , ’into the European Economic ) Community (E.E.C.) and > affirmed party belief that the , ' E.E.C. should adopt policies ] )to help developing countries): [throughout the world and not), ] just its associated States in j Afri ca ; On the disparity of wealth j I within the E.E.C. itself the) /document said that direct) . elections to the European As-) Jsembly would increase the) power of that body “with a /consequent weakening of the I role of the British ParliaJment.” i The document added: “Thej

political battle for ending the disparities of wealth . . . would be transferred from the British Parliament where social democracy can command a majority and form a strong government to the European scene, where social democracy is far weaker and has no hope of power except as part of an uneasy coalition.” The European policy was just one of a massive series of subjects raised in an extensive document which also said: “A radical foreign policy may involve a cost in real economic terms which) I has to be paid for at the ex-) pense of other worth-while; (objectives here at home.” ) The document, reaffirmed) ) party belief that “the dissolution of N.A.T.O. and the Warsaw Pact, the creation of a nuclear-free zone in central Europe and a substantial ‘measure of nuclear and general disarmament must be . . . main objectives.” It added that nuclear weapons should be included in the Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction (M.8.F.R.) (talks in Vienna and said that i nuclear arms control in [Europe must include control |of the British and French! (nuclear forces. ) Labour’s vigorous opposi-) )tion to a British-French) (nuclear force was reiterated,) (as was a party pledge that) Labour would seek to remove I American Polaris submarine bases from Britain. The document also commented; “The forcible mili-l

; tary intervention in the in- : . ternal affairs of Czechoslo- : vakia by her supposed allies i : cannot be reconciled with the i Warsaw Pact’s stated desire 1 i for European security nor i can the repressive nature of I the regimes in Greece, PorI tugal, and Turkey be recon- '■ ciled with N.A.T.O.’s stated ■ desire f or freedom of movement and ideas throughout ; Europe.” ; The report added that! . Greece should be expelled , from N.A.T.0., and Portugal , suspended, all military aid , to these countries should be suspended, and that ) Greece’s associations with /the E.C.C. should be term-) ■)inated until there is a demo-) ) cratic government in i) Athens. The document also called • for the next Labour admin- ) i istration to strengthen rela- ) I tions with the CommonI wealth. “A Labour Britain will . seek to give new strength and influence to the United Nations and reaffirm its faith in the Commonwealth, which remains a unique bridge between rich and poor, black and white,” it said. The document, which 1 devoted a quarter of its ’ 20,080 words to the problem (of overseas aid, said that ■) Labour would re-establish an; 1 i independent ministry for) ■ I overseas development, in i tjcontrast to the Conservative; :|Government’s present body) H which is allied to the; Foreign Office. • ) The proportion of aid , • I would be increased in l

regular annual stages from its present rate of about 0.42 per cent of the gross national product to 0.70 per cent by 1980. The report disclosed that Labour had already set up a working party to examine how the United Kingdom could take independent action “to bring to an end Britain’s dangerous involve- ‘ ment in Southern Africa.” It said that a future Labour Government would back sanctions against) South Africa if the United) Nations introduced them I and made them effective. ) Labour would also take) steps to end South African) rule in South-West Africa; (Namibia), would supply) humanitarian aid to libera-; tion groups, and would only ) agree to Rhodesian independ-) ence after a “one man, one) vote,” referendum on a) settlement there.

On aid for the developing world the document also said that British funds would be principally given in three main directions to the world’s poorest countries—to “those countries seeking socialist solutions to fundamental problems of their social and economic structure” and to “those projects in non-specialist countries which are clearly geared directly to helping the) poorest members of the; society.”

The proportion of grand aid would also be increased, while the amount of aid tied to purchase of British goods and services would be cut.