Nuclear Proliferation (Hansard, 31 October 1990)

§ Mr. Harry Barnes
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has had any recent discussions with his Soviet and United States counterparts, or their ministerial or departmental562W colleagues, in regard to the jointly issued statement of 19 October on international strategies to combat nuclear proliferation.

§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd
No.

§ Mr. Strang
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what were the United Kingdom objections to the proposals set out in the document NPT/CONF.IV/L.3, dated 3 September, to the fourth review conference of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty by a group of 16 states; and whether the United Kingdom tabled any suggested alternative proposals in regard to timetabling of the preparations for the next full gathering of states parties to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd
The United Kingdom and many other countries took the view that it would be inappropriate for the preparatory meetings for the 1995 nuclear non-proliferation treaty conference to begin as early as September 1991 and to be mandated to discuss all substantive matters. We also thought it inappropriate for the conference to adopt resolutions on individual questions. The three depository powers of the NPT (United Kingdom, United States and USSR) tabled an alternative proposal.

§ Mr. Strang
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in theOfficial Report the text of the single-sentence amendment proposed by the United Kingdom on a comprehensive nuclear test ban, to the suggested text submitted by the chairman drafting committee on paragraph 7 of the draft final declaration of the fourth review conference of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty in Geneva on 14 September.

§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd
No; the discussions of the committee were not public.

§ Mr. Strang
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government have made any communication with the Mexican Government or the permanent representative of Mexico to the United Nations in Geneva, in response to the statements made by Ambassador Marin Bosch to the final session of the fourth review conference of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty on 15 September.

§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd
We have made clear to the Mexican authorities our disappointment that the Mexican delegation to the non-proliferation treaty review conference could not agree to the proposal by the president of the conference for a final document.

§ Mr. Strang
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which diplomatic meetings the United Kingdom delegation attended outside the Palais des Nations on 14 September, as part of the process of reviewing the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd
The United Kingdom delegation to the non-proliferation treaty review conference attended several informal meetings outside the conference itself.

§ Mr. Strang
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those non-governmental organisations invited to attend the 563W ministerial briefing and discussion on non-proliferation, verification and disarmament issues at his Department on 23 October; and if he will make a statement on the proportion of time devoted in the meeting to each issue raised, and on the outcome of the meeting.

§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd
Thirty-seven non-governmental organisations were invited to this background briefing. The discussions were off the record and wide ranging: it would not be possible to specify how much time was devoted to each of the many issues raised.