§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date discussions were first(a) proposed and (b) commenced between Her Majesty's Government and the Soviet Administration with a view to achieving an agreement on chemical weapons; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MellorBoth we and the Soviet Union are members of the 40 nation conference on disarmament in Geneva, where negotiations for a comprehensive and verifiable global chemical weapons ban are taking place. British and Soviet officials have met frequently since July 1985 to discuss progress at these negotiations.
§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date he was first notified by the United States Administration that they were going to commence production of binary chemical weapons.
§ Mr. MellorThe United States proposal to commence production of binary chemical weapons was contained in legislation passed by Congress in May 1985. The United States Government have kept us fully informed of their plans.