§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
The Question was as follows:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made at the Ambassadors' conference at Helsinki regarding the preparation of an agenda for the projected Conference on European Security and Co-operation.
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIE)My Lords, after a long and useful third session, the talks have adjourned until April 25 for consultations in capitals. We hope that it will be possible to complete the preparatory work in time for the Conference to take place in the summer.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, in thanking the noble Baroness, may I ask whether it is not the case that agreement has now been reached for the agenda on the principles of European security and economic co-operation? Does that not represent a great advance, and is it not the case that the only difference remaining is about cultural and human contact? Will Her Majesty's Government seek to make a contribution to that last question of free movement by suggesting that it should develop as confidence develops between East and West?
§ BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIEMy Lords, it is indeed encouraging that we are all talking about terms of reference of broadly similar scope for the discussions that will deal with security and co-operation in economics and in the environment. But it is also true that there are a number of differences which still remain on the development of human contacts, the broadening of cultural and educational exchanges and the wider flow of information, and we hope to take our part in those when the talks resume.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for confirming what I had indicated in my supplementary. May I ask her this: Will Her Majesty's Government give more enthusiastic support for this proposal? It is hardly mentioned, and yet it is the great hope for peace in Europe and in the world. Will Her Majesty's Government seek to make the British public, who are unaware of this fact, alert to this great possibility?
§ BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIEMy Lords, we have strongly supported the proposals tabled by the Belgian, Danish and Italian delegations, which were put forward on behalf of our European partners and our allies. But of course a great many other proposals have been put forward and, as the noble Lord may imagine, a good deal of discussion is still going on about the agenda.
§ LORD KENNETMy Lords, can the Government tell us anything about what is technically called the "linkage" between the Helsinki talks and the forthcoming Vienna negotiations on mutual and balanced force reductions? Would it 1111 not be rather unwise if the West were to abandon its claim that the two sets of negotiations should be linked, and can the Government assure us that they will not abandon that claim?
§ BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIEMy Lords, I am afraid we have not got very far on the exploratory talks in Vienna on the M.B.F.R.s because no plenary sessions have been held since the end of January and the delegations are still discussing questions of procedure and who is to take part and how. It will be some time before that is settled and therefore the link has not yet come before the exploratory talks.