§ 17. Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will now propose within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation that it should accept the two Warsaw Pact proposals for the agenda of a European Security Conference, with the addition of a proposal for mutual balanced force reductions.
§ Mr. M. StewartAs far back as June, 1968, N.A.T.O. offered talks on mutual and balanced force reductions. The Warsaw Pact have never responded; and the Soviet Government have since indicated unwillingness to add this question to the 24 conference agenda proposed by the Warsaw Pact governments. Nevertheless, N.A.T.O. is now studying force reduction models and, at my suggestion, procedures for all aspects of East-West negotiations.
§ Mr. AllaunThat is very good. Why not put it forward? Is it not correct that the Warsaw proposals in the communiqué from Prague did not specifically exclude other proposals?
§ Mr. StewartI do not think that I would agree with my hon. Friend about the last point. I want to make it clear that we want to see either a conference of this kind or any other instrument that would really promote better understanding between East and West. If we are to get that we have to be able to carry our allies and other countries with us. It is for that reason that we urge in N.A.T.O. that we should study the procedures for East-West negotiations. The position now is that N.A.T.O. has made a contribution of substance—the concept of balanced force reductions—and we are now studying procedures. I hope that successful results will come out of this.