HC Deb 28 April 1969 vol 782 cc922-6
21. Mr. Frank Allaun

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the 20th Anniversary Ministerial Meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation which he attended in Washington.

25. Mr. Bruce-Gardyne

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his visit to the United States in mid-April.

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Fred Mulley)

My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and the Secretary of State for Defence attended the Twentieth Anniversary Meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Washington. During his visit my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs had useful talks with other N.A.T.O. Foreign Ministers, and called on the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The unanimous conclusions of the N.A.T.O. Ministerial meeting are set out in the communiqué which I will, with permission, circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Mr. Allaun

Why did not the Council proceed with these proposals, which were made as long ago as December, 1967, for mutually balanced troop reductions, as this seems to be something which is in the interests of both sides?

Mr. Mulley

The Council of Ministers, as my hon. Friend will see from the communiqué, reaffirmed their Governments' intention to continue the search for real progress towards mutually beneficial relations between East and West and to explore all proper means of opening negotiations. I think that, in the light of the events which have happened since, that is an important statement of policy.

Mr. Bruce-Gardyne

During his visit to Washington the Foreign Secretary was quoted as saying that there was scope for East-West negotiations provided the Russians could confine their aggressive instincts to within their own alliances. May we take it that the right hon. Gentleman subscribes to the Brezhnev doctrine as representing the views of the British electorate?

Mr. Mulley

The hon. Member should be very careful about drawing very large conclusions from a general observation of the kind to which he has referred. He should not infer any such conclusions.

Mr. Wood

Has the right hon. Gentleman any comments to make on the three very important proposals made by the President of the United States to the meeting in question?

Mr. Money

These were considered by the Council as a whole and reflected in the communiqué. As I think the right hon. Gentleman knows, studies will follow by the permanent representatives of N.A.T.O. on the suggestion made by President Nixon.

Following is the communiqué:

FINAL COMMUNIQUé

  1. 1. The North Altantic Council met in Ministerial Session in Washington on the 10th and 11th of April, 1969. The Council commemorated the twentieth anniversary of the Treaty creating the Alliance and was addressed by the President of the United States. Ministers expressed their deep satisfaction at the 924 decisive contribution the Alliance had made to the maintenance of peace in Europe and to the security of all its members.
  2. 2. The Alliance was established to safeguard the freedom, common heritage and civilisation of its peoples, founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law, and in response to a common fear that without an effective security system, another war might erupt in a divided Europe. The Alliance continues as the expression of common purposes and aspirations.
  3. 3. In 1967 the Report on the Future Tasks of the Alliance emphasised the dual task of the latter: the defence of the West and the search for a stable peace with the East. In June 1968 Allied Ministers declared their readiness to seek, with the other States concerned, specific practical measures for disarmament and arms control, including possible measures for mutual and balanced force reductions. Notwithstanding the serious setback to hones for improvement in East-West relations as a result of Soviet intervention in Czechoslovakia, Ministers in November 1968 stated that secure, peaceful and mutually beneficial relations between East and West remained the political goal of the Allies. They reaffirmed at this Session that the intention of their Governments was to continue the search for real progress towards this objective by contacts and to explore all appropriate openings for negotiations.
  4. 4. Bearing especially in mind the situation in Eastern Europe, member governments recall that any lasting improvement in international relations presupposes full respect for the principles of the independence and territorial integrity of States, non-interference in their domestic affairs, the right of each people to shape its own future, and the obligation to refrain from the threat or use of force.
  5. 5. Ministers recalled that one of the essential aims of the Alliance is the establishment of a just and lasting peace in Europe, based on stability, security and mutual confidence. The Allies propose, while remaining in close consultation, to explore with the Soviet Union and the other countries of Eastern Europe which concrete issues best lend themselves to fruitful negotiation and an early resolution. Consequently, they instructed the Council to draft a list of these issues and to study how a useful process of negotiation could best be initiated, in due course, and to draw up a report for the next meeting of Ministers. It is clear that any negotiations must be well prepared in advance, and that all governments whose participation would be necessary to achieve a political settlement in Europe should take part.
  6. 6. The Allies will also pursue their efforts and studies in the field of disarmament and practical arms control, including balanced force reductions and the initiatives already undertaken for the renunciation of the use of force.
  7. 7. The political solidarity of the Alliance constitutes an essential element while approaching a period of expanding East-West contacts and possible negotiations. This solidarity can best be maintained by strict adherence to the principle of full consultation in the Council 925 both before and during any negotiations that might affect the interests of the Alliance or any of its members. On this understanding, the Allied Governments welcome the intention of the United States to engage the U.S.S.R. in discussion of limitations on offensive and defensive strategic arms.
  8. 8. The Allies participating in the N.A.T.O. integrated defence programme agreed that it was extremely important that during an era of negotiation the defence posture of the Alliance should not be relaxed and that premature expectations of solutions to outstanding questions should not be generated. The maintenance of effective defence is a stabilising factor and a necessary condition for effective detente policies.
  9. 9. Accordingly these members of the Alliance reaffirmed their continuing determination to make appropriate contributions to joint efforts for defence and deterrence at all levels both nuclear and conventional. They accepted the continuing need for the current N.A.T.O. strategy based on a forward defence and appropriate response to any aggression, and for a credible conventional and nuclear deterrent including adequate overall and local force levels. The necessary military posture of the Alliance consists of the strategic nuclear deterrent forces, the presence of sufficient substantial and effective North American and European conventional forces as well as supporting tactical nuclear forces in the European area and adequate ready reinforcements.
  10. 10. Defence Ministers will meet on the 28th of May, 1969 and will examine the more specific elements in the defence posture necessary to fulfil the above requirements. They will also examine the possibility of improving the efficiency of the defence effort by intensifying mutual and co-operative approaches to, for example, the problems of arms production and arms standardisation either among all Allied nations or between some of them.
  11. 11. Reviewing the situation in Berlin, the Ministers noted that obstacles have recently been placed on freedom of access to Berlin. Such obstructions cannot be accepted. The Ministers supported the determination of the Three Powers to maintain free access to the city, and recalled the declaration of the North Atlantic Council of 16th of December, 1958, and the responsibilities which each member State assumed with regard to the security and welfare of Berlin.
  12. 12. The Ministers consider that the achievement of a peaceful European settlement presupposes, among other things, progress towards eliminating existing sources of tension in the centre of Europe. They consider that concrete measures aimed at improving the situation in Berlin, safeguaring free access to the city, and removing restrictions which affect traffic and communications between the two parts of Germany would be a substantial contribution toward this objective. They expressed their support for continued efforts by the Three Powers to explore, in the framework of their special responsibilities for Berlin and Germany as a whole, possibilities for ordered and negotiated progress in these important questions.
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  13. 13. A peaceful solution must be found for the German question based on the free decision of the German people and on the interests of European security.
  14. 14. The members of the Alliance are conscious that they share common environmental problems which, unless squarely faced, could imperil the welfare and progress of their societies. The Ministers recognise that important work on these problems is already being carried out within other international organisations. The Minister instructed the Council in Permanent Session to examine how to improve, in every practical way, the exchange of views and experience, among the Allied countries, whether by action in the appropriate international organisations or otherwise, in the task of creating a better environment for their societies.
  15. 15. While concerned with these problems, Ministers are also mindful that the Allied countries are entering an era in which scientific, technical and economic resources should contribute to the peaceful progress and development of all nations.
  16. 16. Apart from regular meetings at Ministerial level, Ministers agreed that the Council in Permanent Session should consider the proposal that high officials of their Foreign Ministries meet periodically for a review of major, long-range problems before the Alliance.
  17. 17. The next Ministerial Session of the North Atlantic Council will be held in Brussels in December, 1969.