HC Deb 10 February 1964 vol 689 cc20-1
23. Mr. Emrys Hughes

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs which countries continue to be represented at the Disarmament Conference at Geneva.

Mr. P. Thomas

There has been no change in the composition of the Geneva Disarmament Conference. The States represented continue to be four North Atlantic Treaty Organisation States—the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy and Canada—five Warsaw Pact states—the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Poland and Roumania—and eight non-aligned States, not parties to either Alliance—Brazil, Burma, Ethiopia, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Sweden and the United Arab Republic. France, which is entitled to a seat, has never occupied it.

Mr. Hughes

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the Prime Minister is telling us nearly every other week that in order to get into these conferences we must have the H-bomb? How does he explain that all these other nations which have not got the H-bomb have got in?

Mr. Thomas

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister was not talking about conferences with the wide terms of reference that this has but of an inner conference dealing exclusively with agreements on nuclear weapons. The Prime Minister is and was, as always, right.

Mr. Mayhew

To which precise conference was the Prime Minister referring at which no non-nuclear Power was present?

Mr. Thomas

Could I remind the hon. Gentleman that there was a conference at which my noble Friend, as he then was, Lord Hailsham, took part with American and Russian representatives, which resulted in the partial Test Ban Treaty last year.

Mr. P. Noel-Baker

rose—

Mr. Speaker

We really must endeavour to make progress. The clock and the number of the Question reached reveal our plight.