HC Deb 26 November 1958 vol 596 cc349-51
14. Mr. Swingler

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of the Geneva Conference on the Cessation of Nuclear Tests.

26. Mrs. Castle

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress, to date, of the Geneva talks on the discontinuance of nuclear weapon tests.

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

I have nothing to add to the reply which my right hon. and learned Friend gave to the hon. Member for Blackburn (Mrs. Castle) on 24th November.

Mr. Swingler

That reply did not make clear the principle on which the Government's policy is based. Might I therefore, ask the right hon. Gentleman—we are glad that he is here, since he is in charge of the negotiations—a question to which the House is surely entitled to know the answer? What is the principle of the Government's policy. Is it the Government's policy at these talks to seek international agreement for the complete cessation of nuclear tests subject to the establishment of a satisfactory control apparatus?

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

The Government's policy was laid down very clearly in the statement which was made on 22nd August.

Mrs. Castle

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that on Monday his right hon. and learned Friend gave me a list of the requirements which the Government want the Soviet Government to meet in respect of the control system? Can he tell the House whether if those requirements were met by the Soviet Government Her Majesty's Government would then be willing to accept the Soviet proposal for a permanent cessation of tests?

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

All my right hon. and learned Friend set out was certain of the answers which would be required from the Soviet Government if we were to make any progress in the negotiations. We have so far had no answers to those questions.

Mr. Bevan

As we are now having merely partial answers and partial explanations about what is happening at Geneva, is the right hon. Gentleman yet in a position to confirm the intimation given by his right hon. and learned Friend on Monday that we shall soon have a White Paper setting out the working documents, because we hope to have an early debate on this matter?

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

I do not think that is quite what my right hon. and learned Friend said. As the right hon. Gentleman knows, the conference is proceeding on the assumption that all the discussion takes place in private. There was an unfortunate occurrence in which the Soviet delegation, actually in New York. released the text of its draft agreement, and that became public knowledge. We had to make certain statements to make our position clear on that. We have stated to the Soviet delegation that we would hope that from now on these discussions could be kept private, and during the period when the two other parties to the negotiations wish to keep these matters private—if that is their position—I do not think it will be possible to publish a White Paper.

Mr. Bevan

Is not that a complete departure from the hope held out by the Foreign Secretary on Monday? As I said, we are hoping to have an early debate on foreign affairs, and especially on this matter. How is it possible for the House to have a really intelligent debate if we have only these partial disclosures? Is not it better that the whole of the documents up to the present stage should now be made available to us in preparation for the debate?

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

I think it very regrettable that there was any disclosure. I think the thing to do would be to limit it to the one disclosure which has already been made. However, I will certainly examine the matter again. There will, of course, come a moment when it will be perfectly possible to publish these documents. All I say is that I do not know whether the other parties to the conference would agree to the documents being made public now.

Mr. Bevan

I asked the Foreign Secretary on Monday whether the working documents could be made available and his reply held out the prospect—I am not saying that he promised it definitely, but the House was assured from his statement—of there being no practical difficulties in the way of letting us have the documents up to this stage. If we are to have an intelligent debate, we shall have to have the documents before us.

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

My right hon. and learned Friend certainly held out the prospect that they would be published at some time. I do not think that he held out the hope that they would be published in the near future. I have already stated some of the difficulties of publishing documents while the conference is in session.