§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what implications the non-compliance of the Soviet Union to the 1976 Helsinki agreement, as evidenced by the recent trial of Yuri Orlov, has for British Foreign policy towards the Soviet Union.
§ Mr. LuardThe Government's policy remains to seek as constructive a relationship with the Soviet Union as Soviet policies permit, and to work for better implementation of the Final Act.
The Soviet authorities are aware of our view that the sentence on Professor Orlov was unjustifiable and was incompatible with the Final Act. Such actions risk jeopardising detente.