§ Mr. MacdonaldTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his assessment of the threat to NATO territory from ballistic missiles deployed by countries other than the Soviet Union and China.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonExcluding the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China, the following nations have a ballistic missile capability with the range to hit NATO territory: Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Poland, Saudi Arabia and Syria. The possession of such a capability does not necessarily imply that any particular country constitutes a threat to NATO.
§ Mr. MacdonaldTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he intends to conduct(a) with the United States Government and (b) with the Soviet Union Government about ballistic missile defences.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonMy right hon. Friend has no plans to discuss ballistic missile defences with the Government of the Soviet Union. We remain in close touch with the United States on this subject.
§ Mr. MacdonaldTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many anti-ballistic missile systems the Soviet Union currently deploys; and where these are situated;
(2) what is his assessment of the range of existing Soviet ABM systems;
(3) what is the maximum number of ABM launchers the Soviet Union is permitted to deploy under the terms of the ABM treaty;
(4) what is his assessment of the current status of the Soviet Union's modernisation programme of its ABM system;
(5) what is his assessment of the improved military capability of the Soviet Union's ABM defences since these were first deployed;
(6) what is his assessment as to the numbers and location of deployments of future Soviet ABM systems.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonUnder the 1972 United States-Soviet ABM treaty and subsequent protocols, the614W Soviet Union is limited to a maximum of 100 ABM launchers located within a radius of 150 km around either the national capital or one area containing silo fields. The current, upgraded, Soviet ABM system became operational in 1989. Components of the system, deployed around Moscow, include the short-range Gazelle interceptor and the Gorgon long-range interceptor for engagements beyond the atmosphere. The upgraded system is believed to comprise the full 100 launchers permitted compared with the 64 launchers of the original system. Future Soviet ABM deployments are similarly expected to conform to the 1972 treaty and its protocols or any future renegotiations of the agreement.
§ Mr. MacdonaldTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy towards the continuing adherence to the ABM treaty by the Soviet Union.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe Soviet Union is party to the ABM treaty and has undertaken to abide by its international obligations, including those to arms control. We strongly support this.
§ Mr. MacdonaldTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy towards President Bush's proposal to conduct joint discussions about the development of ballistic missile defences with the Soviet Union.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonWe remain committed to the six points agreed with President Reagan in the mid-1980s which included our support for negotiated deployment of strategic defences. The latest developments are consistent with this.
§ Mr. MacdonaldTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy towards the development and deployment of(a) anti-tactical ballistic missile systems and (b) strategic ABM systems by NATO.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe United Kingdom's approach to ballistic missile defences remains based on the agreements reached between the then Prime Minister and President Reagan at Camp David in December 1984 and November 1986. These are set out in paragraph 208 of the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1988.