§ 13. Dr. Doug Naysmith (Bristol, North-West)What steps his Department is taking to promote global nuclear disarmament. [86543]
§ The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. George Robertson)In the strategic defence review and since, we have set out a wide range of measures contributing to our goal of the global elimination of nuclear weapons. We will continue to promote international peace and security and to reduce the need for any reliance on nuclear deterrence.
§ Dr. NaysmithI thank my right hon. Friend for that reply. Does he agree that, in maintaining strong defence while promoting nuclear disarmament, we can justly claim to have led by example? Does he also agree that by maintaining nuclear deterrence as we promised we have kept our promises, as no more warheads are deployed on Trident than were deployed on Polaris when it first entered service?
Finally, does he agree that the improved relationship between Russia and the west that was on display at the weekend offers further opportunities for talks on nuclear disarmament?
§ Mr. RobertsonMy hon. Friend is right. We are deploying no more warheads on Trident than there were on Polaris when it entered service. He is also right about the need for in-depth dealings with the Russians. I hope that the G8 meeting at Cologne will be a starting point for that. Last week I met a delegation from the Duma, who I believe are here as your guests, Madam Speaker. That is an enlightened move, if I may say so. Major General Stolyarov, the deputy chairman of the Duma's foreign affairs committee, listened carefully as I outlined the unconditional measures that we had taken on nuclear weapons and suggested that the Russian Duma might like to follow that example and ratify the START 2 treaty.