6. Mr. VYVYAN ADAMSasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any statement to make regarding the progress of the Disarmament Conference at Geneva?
§ Mr. EDENI am circulating in the OFFICIAL REPORT an account of the work of the conference since my right hon. Friend's last statement on the subject.
§ Following is the account:
Since the end of April the Technical Commissioners of the Disarmament Conference have been at work in accordance with the terms of two resolutions which I proposed in the General Commission of the Conference on the 2oth of April and 22nd of April respectively, and which were adopted, after some discussion, in the following form:(a) Without prejudice to other proposals which fall to be discussed under later heads of the agenda, the conference declares its approval of the principle of qualitative disarmament, i.e., the selection of certain classes or descriptions of weapons the possession or use of which should be absolutely prohibited to all States or internationalised by means of a general Convention.(b) In seeking to apply the principle of qualitative disarmament as defined in the previous resolution, the conference is of opinion that the range of land, sea and air armaments should be examined by the competent special commissions with a view to selecting those weapons whose character is the most specially offensive or those most efficacious against national defence or most threatening to civilians.
§ The second of these resolutions has involved the technical Commission in much arduous work and lengthy discussion. It is however hoped that their reports may be ready by the end of the present week; and it is presumed that the Bureau of the Conference will then be authorised to co-ordinate them for the General Commission.