§ 11. Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for Defence when he next expects to meet any of his Warsaw pact counterparts; and what matters he expects to discuss.
§ Mr. PattieNeither I nor any of my ministerial colleagues in the Ministry of Defence have any current plans to do so.
§ Mr. AdleyIn the eventuality that meetings at Stockholm may take place between representatives of NATO Governments and Warsaw pact Governments, will my hon. Friend and his colleagues make it abundantly clear to those members of the Warsaw pact that appeasement and pacifism are alien doctrines, certainly to the 13 million people who voted Conservative at the last general election and, presumably, to members of the Social Democratic party, and that we in this country will continue to defend the right to choose our own Government and defence policy unless and until there is at least some evidence that the Soviet Union is prepared to withdraw its missiles from the eastern European countries?
§ Mr. PattieI am sure that the ruling authorities in the Soviet Union are aware of that position. The confidence-building measures that are being discussed in Stockholm today will relate to various matters, including the notification of manoeuvres and other matters on which we have taken the initiative in recent years.
§ Mr. DouglasHow many observers do we have at Warsaw pact manoeuvres and how many observers does the pact have at ours?
§ Mr. PattieWithout prior notice, I could not answer that question. However, we have gone beyond what might be called the statutory requirement. We have taken the initiative to inform the Warsaw pact of manoeuvres, when it was not strictly necessary for us to do so under the agreement, and we have offered it facilities for observers. I shall write to the hon. Gentleman on the subject.
§ Mr. WilkinsonCould my hon. Friend suggest to the Secretary of State that, at the next NATO ministerial meeting, he should discuss seriously with his NATO counterparts a response to the suggestions of First Secretary Andropov about reductions in chemical weapons by the Warsaw pact?
§ Mr. PattieI am sure that my right hon. Friend has heard my hon. Friend's important suggestion, but a realistic and worthwhile response from the Soviet Union to the initiative taken by the Government late last year is still awaited.
§ Mr. FisherWhen the Minister and the Secretary of State get around to meeting their Warsaw pact counterparts, will they discuss with them the 18 practical steps suggested by the former United States Secretary of Defence, Robert McNamara, for reducing the risk of nuclear war?
§ Mr. PattieThe steps to which the hon. Gentleman refers will, I hope, be among the subjects considered at the discussions in Stockholm, which will begin today and will last for some time.
§ Mr. JohnstonIn what respect, if any, will the position of Her Majesty's Government in Stockholm differ from that of the American Administration?
§ Mr. PattieThe position of Her Majesty's Government on the confidence-building measures is the same as that of other members of the NATO Alliance, in that we wish to see an improvement in those measures, if the Soviet Union will reciprocate.