§ 6. Mr. Blakerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, if he will make 896 a statement on the progress made by Her Majesty's Government towards an international agreement on the non-dissemination of nuclear weapons.
§ Mr. M. StewartNon-dissemination will, of course, be one of the major questions to be discussed by the United Nations Disarmament Commission, now in session in New York, and we hope that this meeting will provide a new impetus towards a non-dissemination agreement. It is still our view that the most useful body for the detailed consideration of disarmament measures is the Geneva Conference, and we hope that the Disarmament Commission will support this view.
§ Mr. BlakerWould the right hon. Gentleman agree that one of the main reasons advanced by the Communist countries in the past for not signing an agreement on non-dissemination has been the proposal for an M.L.F.? Is it not clear that they are now advancing the same objections in relation to the A.N.F.?
§ Mr. StewartYes, Sir, though, as has been pointed out, those objections are baseless.
§ Mr. Peter ThomasCan the right hon. Gentleman indicate when the disarmament conference at Geneva is likely to meet? Does he really expect any progress in this important field from the conference in the United Nations?
§ Mr. StewartI made clear a little while ago that we were disappointed that the Soviet Union were not prepared jointly with the United States to bring the Geneva Conference together again and that progress in the United Nations Disarmament Commission was bound to be slower. What I am hoping is that the Disarmament Commission will reach a resumption of the conference at Geneva, and then on this question we can make progress.