1. Mr. Alan Lee Williamsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has made to the NATO Council on disaster relief; and whether he will make a statement.
§ The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Roy Hattersley)My right hon. Friend has made no proposals in this respect.
§ Mr. BiffenWhere is he?
§ Mr. HattersleySigning the NATO declaration in Brussels.
There are already NATO arrangements for disaster relief. Possible ways and means of improving them are currently under examination.
Mr. WilliamsDoes my hon. Friend agree that the strength of the Alliance rests not only on the nuclear guarantee but also upon the vitality of the Alliance? Will he persuade his right hon. Friend to treat with urgency this question of the peaceful use of armed forces within the alliance?
§ Mr. HattersleyI have great sympathy with that proposition but I do not want to say anything which prejudges the work going on in NATO at the moment. Nor do I want to say at this moment how the balance should be distributed between NATO responsibility and United Nations responsibility. My hon. Friend is right in saying that NATO ought to share this sort of responsibility as well as its wider rôle.