§ 10. Mr. Blakerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made at the Geneva Disarmament Conference towards an agreement to ban biological weapons.
§ The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Joseph Godber)Discussions are continuing on this subject, and we shall be continuing to urge agreeent on the lines proposed in the British draft Convention for the Prohibition of Biological Methods of Warfare. My hon. Friend will no doubt be aware that we put forward a revised version of that at the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament on 18th August, 1970.
§ Mr. BlakerIs there not a danger that a technical break-through in this field might make agreeent even more difficult? Is it not also a fact that verification in this field is less difficult than in some? Is there not good reason, therefore, for the Conference to make a special effort this session to reach agreement on this matter?
§ Mr. GodberYes, I endorse my hon. Friend's views on this point. This is one reason why Britain, on the initiative of the previous Government, took up this aspect of biological warfare as one for urgency, and we are pursuing that as fast as we can.
§ Mr. Goronwy RobertsWe on this side entirely agree with the attitude taken by the right hon. Gentleman and the Government on this. It was an initiative of ours, and we are very glad that it has been continued by the present Government. Will the right hon. Gentleman keep in mind the possibility of a fairly full statement as to the position in the Conference, without prejudice to the 21 negotiations, difficult as they are, which are proceeding, in the form of an interim paper on progress generally?
§ Mr. GodberI am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for his first remarks. I should like to consider his second point. I am all for publishing things where that can be helpful, but there are some occasions on which it would not perhaps produce the desired result. I should like to look at that.