§ Mr. Ian TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement following the third United Nations special session on disarmament 31 May to 25 June.
§ Mr. MellorThe special session, which ended on 26 June, provided an important opportunity for the consideration of arms control issues. We regret that it was not able to agree a final document. The United Kingdom delegation played a full part in the debate and negotiations and put forward a number of specific proposals. The United Kingdom position was outlined in a memorandum dated 23 May, which was printed and distributed as a United Kingdom document.
In my right hon. and learned Friend's speech to the special session on 7 June he pressed for wider accession to the 1925 Geneva protocol, which bans the use of chemical weapons in war, and proposed measures to enable immediate investigation of CW use and international action against violence. We shall pursue those proposals in the appropriate fora.
As my right hon. and learned Friend also made clear in his speech, we have a full and practical arms control agenda in the nuclear, conventional and chemical fields. Despite the disappointing outcome at the special session, we shall press ahead with this work with the aim of achieving balanced and verifiable agreements which are consistent with the maintenance of the United Kingdom's security.