§ 55. Mr. Warbeyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will propose to the Government's represented on the Disarmament Sub-Committee that the Chinese People's Republic shall be invited to attend future sessions of the Sub-Committee in order to discuss the ceiling for her armed forces which has now been agreed by all the members of the Sub-Committee.
§ Mr. NuttingNo, Sir.
§ Mr. WarbeyIf disarmament has now become a realistic prospect and not just a distant dream, is it not time China was associated with the discussions, which have reached the point of already agreeing upon the limit to her own armed forces?
§ Mr. NuttingIt is not for the Disarmament Sub-Committee, which is an agency of the United Nations and was set up by the United Nations, to decide upon its composition. It is working well and happily at present with its existing composition, and I see no reason to change it.
§ 57. Mr. A. Hendersonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will now announce the date for the resumption of the meetings of the Sub-Committee of the United Nations Disarmament Commission.
§ Mr. NuttingThe date for resuming meetings of the Disarmament Sub-Committee was discussed at San Francisco by the four Foreign Ministers. No decision was reached and the matter was referred for discussion through the diplomatic channel.
§ Mr. HendersonDoes the Minister's reply mean that the meetings of the Sub-Committee are not likely to be resumed until after the Conference at Geneva?
§ Mr. NuttingI do not think that we could possibly fit in any meetings of the Disarmament Sub-Committee before the Geneva Conference, but it is our hope that the five Governments concerned will be able to agree to an early resumption after the Conference.
§ Mr. HendersonMay I ask whether the senior representative of the United Kingdom will be of Ministerial level?
§ Mr. NuttingI very much hope so. I hope to be able to attend myself.