Mr. O'NeillTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of the cost of verifying an agreement to reduce conventional forces reached as a result of the conventional forces in Europe talks.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonVerification will be a key element of any agreement to reduce conventional forces in Europe. The costs will depend on the measures finally agreed. Based on our experience of implementing the INF treaty and the Stockholm document, our provisional assessment is that the considerably more complex and extensive requirements of a conventional armed forces agreement will entail substantial costs.