Vol. 233 No. 4
asked the Minister for External Affairs if he has received an appeal concerning Irish efforts to bring peace and stability to the people of Vietnam; and if he will give details of the nature of this appeal, its support and the action which the Government intend to take regarding this major conflict in South-East Asia.
2.
asked the Minister for External Affairs if Ireland will support General de Gaulle's appeal for a reconvention of the Geneva Conference on Vietnam as a step towards the establishment of peace and security for the Vietnamese people.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose taking Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together.
I have received an Appeal for Peace in Vietnam stated to have been signed by 38,500 persons. The text of the Appeal is as follows:—
"Irish Appeal for Peace in Vietnam.
The continuation of the war in Vietnam is causing great hardship and human suffering, and constitutes a grave threat to world peace.
Therefore we support the pleas for peace made by Pope Paul VI, the World Council of Churches, and the Secretary General of the United Nations, U Thant; and we call on the Irish Government to declare itself in support of U Thant in his appeal for unconditional cessation of the bombing, in order to create a climate for peace discussions.
On 10th January, 1967, U Thant said: ‘It is absolutely necessary that the bombing of North Vietnam must cease without conditions ... there will be no move towards peace so long as the bombing is going on.' And he added on 16th September, 1967, that he was ‘convinced that, after the cessation of the bombing of North Vietnam, meaningful talks would take place within a matter of three to four weeks.'
We request the Irish Government to give full support to the Secretary General of the United Nations, U Thant, in his initiatives for peace in Vietnam."
In reply to the Deputy's query as to what action the Government intend to take regarding the conflict in Vietnam, I may say that we shall continue to do everything within the competence of a small State to promote firm and lasting peace in Vietnam and South-East Asia. To this end, we shall continue to appeal for a complete cessation of hostilities on land, sea and air in order to create the climate favourable to negotiations for a peace settlement in Vietnam and if possible the establishment of an "Area of Peace" covering as many South-East Asian States as are willing to become members.
It is proposed also, on all appropriate occasions to urge France, Great Britain, the Peoples Republic of China, the Soviet Union and the United States to declare their readiness to guarantee a treaty of peace negotiated by the parties involved in the Vietnam war. We shall also urge these Great Powers to declare their readiness to extend this guarantee to an "Area of Peace" in South-East Asia including such countries in that region as are prepared to bind themselves to restrict their arms to police level, to settle their differences peacefully, to declare their neutrality and exclude all foreign forces and bases from their territories.
As for reconvening the Geneva Conference on Vietnam, I do not think it would be wise for us to seek to lay down in advance where the negotiations should take place or who should participate.
Since it appears to be the case that the Secretary General considers a cessation of the bombing of North Vietnam an essential step towards bringing peace to Vietnam, would the Minister consider it and ask the Government to issue a public pronouncement of support for the stand of the Secretary General in regard to the bombing of Vietnam?
I dealt with that question fully in reply to the Deputy's leader last week or the week before. I refer the Deputy to the answer then given.
The essential point of Deputy Corish's question is whether the Minister will now support the Secretary General in his call for the ending of the bombing since the Secretary General appears to think this is a first step towards peace.
I stated in reply to the Deputy's leader, if the Deputy consults the reply and the supplementary answers I gave, exactly what our attitude is on Vietnam and how we hope peace might be achieved in that distressed country.
