§ Q4. Mr. Dalyellasked the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with President Johnson about negotiations with the Federal German Government and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation regarding the terms on which the British Army of the Rhine remains in Germany; and whether he will make a statement.
§ The Prime MinisterNone, Sir.
§ Mr. DalyellHave the negotiations on the foreign exchange costs of B.A.O.R. actually started—the negotiations which were promised by the Chancellor of the Exchequer?
§ The Prime MinisterI have nothing to add at this stage to the statement in the Defence White Paper and the statement by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget. So far there have not been any negotiations.
1552 Answering the main Question, President Johnson has not been involved in any way.
§ Sir C. OsborneSince N.A.T.O. came into being to safeguard Western Europe against a Stalinist expansionist policy, and since that policy has been dropped, ought not N.A.T.O. to be reconsidered entirely.
§ The Prime MinisterThe hon. Member is raising some very wide issues which have been debated many times and which have required full debate. There is a very serious situation going on in N.A.T.O. Of course we have said that we must take advantage of the fact which the hon. Member mentioned to modernise those aspects of N.A.T.O. which need modernisation and on which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has made a number of proposals over the past year.