49.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what forms of action are contemplated by Her Majesty's Government in fulfilment of the obligations of Article IV of the South-East Asia Collective Defence Treaty.
The nature of the action to be taken by Her Majesty's Government would entirely depend on the circumstances in which Article 4 of the Treaty was invoked and on the general situation prevailing at The time.
Does this reply mean that the Government reserve to themselves a completely free hand to decide what action to take in the event of a situation arising, or do the Government regard this Article as imposing a binding obligation on this country to send military forces to deal with a situation arising under the Article?
The reply means exactly what it says.
50.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs which countries, other than those which attended the Manila Conference, have been invited to adhere to the South-East Asia Collective Defence Treaty.
None, Sir.
What would be the value of this Treaty in not including such important Asian members of the Commonwealth as India and Ceylon and countries like Burma and Indonesia?
In the view of Her Majesty's Government, the value of the Treaty is that it is a contribution to peace, stability and security in South-East Asia.