§ 12. Mr. Harry Cohen (Leyton and Wanstead)What representations he has made to his United States counterpart to try to achieve that country's agreement to ensure compliance with biological and chemical weapons treaties. [54296]
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Tony Lloyd)We are in regular dialogue with the United States on all aspects of the implementation of the biological and chemical weapons conventions. I am pleased to report that the United States has passed legislation to implement the chemical weapons convention.
§ Mr. CohenThat is news to me.
148 Is the Minister aware of the danger that will be posed to the international regime against chemical weapons if the United States drags its feet in implementing legislation? Is he saying that call inspections will now be possible in factories where chemicals are handled? I understand that the lack of such inspections is blocking call inspections in other countries.
Can the Minister tell us something about the biological treaty negotiations in Geneva? Hopefully, the United States will not drag its feet in that regard.
§ Mr. LloydI am pleased to say that the United States Congress recently ratified legislation allowing precisely the type of challenge inspection that my hon. Friend has described. There is now no possibility that other countries can hide behind the supposed reluctance of the United States, which is now complying with the chemical weapons convention. We welcome that, having played our part by making our views known to the United States Government and Congress.
I remind the House that, in his new year message and more recently at the United Nations, President Clinton spoke in favour of the biological weapons convention. That is a positive sign. The United States is already a signatory. What we are all working towards now—at least, those of us who are working with good will—is the certainty that the same challenge regime exists for biological as for chemical weapons. That would be a signal achievement for the world. We have already banned a whole class of chemical weapons of mass destruction, legally at least. If we can do the same in regard to biological weapons, and implement the ban, we shall have taken a significant step for all mankind.
§ Dr. Julian Lewis (New Forest, East)Was it not a piece of barefaced cheek for the hon. Member for Leyton and Wanstead (Mr. Cohen) to point the finger of accusation at the United States in relation to treaties banning biological weapons? The United States, like this country, signed the treaty to ban biological weapons in 1972, and President Yeltsin admitted in 1992 that for 20 years—as we in the west had suspected—the Soviet Union had been flagrantly breaching the treaty. If accusations of that kind are to be made, should not the hon. Gentleman direct them at the Russians, who, even now, have not cleaned up their act in this respect?
§ Mr. LloydPerhaps the hon. Gentleman would like me to go a little beyond party political rhetoric, and stick to the substance of his question. He is right: the United States was one of the signatories of the 1972 treaty, which was an important step forward. Britain's record is good in this regard, and I must pay tribute to what the previous Government did in respect of chemical weapons, although perhaps they did less in respect of biological weapons. As a House and as a country, we should hold firmly to the view that all nations should sign and ratify both treaties.