Would he not agree that the Congo Crisis has shown that there is a strong case for making more permanent arrangements for the provision of a United Nation force on future occasions?
We must now ask ourselves seriously whether we can afford to allow this Government to face the Congo Crisis and al; crisis in Central Africa - because those is a serious situation in Southern Rhodesia, as has been pointed out - while the House is in recess.
To turn the Secretary-General's office into a commission of three would bring the veto into the executive centre of the United Nations and would render it practically impotent in toe face of such world dangers as the Congo Crisis.
At times I have been severely critical of the rôle played by Dr. Nkrumah of Ghana in the Congo Crisis.
It is these new nations who, when the Congo Crisis was in its early stages, were the first to over-ride the veto of the Security Council to see that constructive measures were taken in the Congo.
If the hon. Member for Lancaster (Mr. Berkeley) were the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the prestige of the Government would rise not only in this country but perhaps in some of the countries where, as he rightly said, the Government have lost a great deal of good will and prestige for Britain by their action in the Congo Crisis.
I understand that at the height of the Congo Crisis the Russians tried and failed to maintain any significant presence in the Congo.
Nobody could possibly object to the proposition that the Congo Crisis is crying out for international intervention.
Is this statement on the serious Crisis in the Congo really the occasion to experiment with new and untried EU military structures and for the Minister to make political points about their highly controversial European security and defence policy?
The Crisis in the Congo has existed for many years and it has, alas, been too much ignored by the world community.
My Lords, I join in thanking the Minister for giving us the opportunity to debate the current Crisis in the Congo - the DRC - and in congratulating him on his tireless work in trying to find a resolution to the tragic state of affairs in that country.
The appeal for the Congo Crisis - a war that many people feel has been overshadowed, and has been ignored and overlooked by the world - has raised £9.