HC Deb 23 May 1966 vol 729 cc9-10
11. Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will give an assurance that the establishment of a nuclear-free zone in Europe remains part of Her Majesty's Government's policy; and what steps he is taking to bring it to a successful conclusion.

Mr. M. Stewart

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my hon. Friend in answer to a Question by the hon. Member for Lewisham, West (Mr. Dickens) on 12th May.

Mrs. Short

Will my right hon. Friend consider starting discussions between the N.A.T.O. Powers and the Warsaw Pact Powers so that Labour Party policy can be implemented? Does not he think it time that we had a Socialist foreign policy in this respect?

Mr. Stewart

My hon. Friend will remember that part of our party's policy is firm support of N.A.T.O. and that we could not make progress on a matter like this except in concert with our allies. But I assure my hon. Friend that we are anxious to seek better understanding between East and West both on these and other matters. I have been engaged in exchanges with Eastern European countries which have this in mind.

Sir Alec Douglas-Home

I must not go into the implementation of the Labour Party's policy, but is not the fallacy in the proposal of the hon. Lady the Member for Wolverhampton, North-East (Mrs. Renee Short) that Germany is covered by medium- and long-range nuclear weapons far outside any area of possible disengagement, and unless there were conventional thinning out at the same time the balance of military strength would be seriously upset?

Mr. Stewart

The right hon. Gentleman may remember that we have explained in previous statements on this matter that arrangements for a nuclear-free zone must be with the consent of the countries concerned and must not be such as to upset the military balance in Europe. But I do not take so negative a view of the matter as he does.

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