§ Q8. Mr. Dribergasked the Prime Minister, in view of the initialling of a nuclear test ban treaty, what steps he now intends to take to seek to persuade France, and other nations now or soon capable of producing nuclear weapons, to refrain from developing and testing such weapons; if he will now make a new effort, by means of a summit conference or in other ways, to promote general disarmament; and if, in this connection, he will propose the establishment of zones of disengagement in central Europe, the Middle East, or elsewhere, and the total denuclearisation of the African continent.
§ The Prime MinisterI do not think there is anything; I can usefully add to the statement which I made to the House on 25th July and to the replies which I gave to Questions on 30th July.
§ Mr. DribergCould it in any way hinder progress towards more general disarmament if the Prime Minister were to take some opportunity, for instance, of mentioning the matters referred to in the last part of the Question, such as disengagement—an idea which the right hon. Gentleman once mentioned favourably but which I think he has not referred to for some considerable time? When he is discussing a test ban agreement with President de Gaulle, would the right hon. Gentleman consider drawing the President's attention to the relevant passages in the late Pope's Encyclical, Pacem in Terris?
§ The Prime MinisterAll these are important and relevant matters, but, if I have learned anything from my experience in the last few years, it is to proceed by patient negotiation rather than by premature public statements before full consultation.