23. Mr. Michael McNair-Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement about progress at the intermediate nuclear forces talks in Geneva.
Sir Geoffrey HoweProgress at the INF negotiations, which will shortly recess until early September, continues to be slow, because the Russians refuse to negotiate about a bilateral balance between the United States and the Soviet Union. In the absence of an agreement which obviates the need for them, first deployments of cruise missiles and Pershing 2 missiles will begin by the end of the year, but if successful negotiations justify this, the deployment programme can be stopped or reversed at any point.