The decision of the British Petroleum and the Shell Oil companies to withdraw from Israeli operations had its reverberations in the British Parliament today where questions were posed to the government regarding this development.
Under Secretary W. D. Ormsby-Gore, replying for the government, said that after the two British oil companies announced their decision to cease operations in Israel, their directors were seen by Foreign Secretary Selwyn Lloyd. During the discussions, the Foreign Secretary established that “the decision was a commercial one, ” the Under Secretary told the Parliament.
Mr. Ormsby-Gore “explained” that the British Government holds shares in a variety of companies but that even where the government holds a controlling interest it is a “long established policy” not to interfere in purely commercial decisions. Where strategic issues are concerned, he continued, the government would expect to be consulted.
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