§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what policy proposals the United Kingdom plans to put to the resumed negotiations on a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty within the framework of the United Nations committee on disarmament, beginning in Geneva on 24 January; what is the composition of the United Kingdom delegation; and what is the timetable for the negotiations.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryA detailed statement of our approach to the negotiations was made by Sir Michael Weston, the head of the United Kingdom delegation to the conference on disarmament, on 25 January. A copy will be placed in the Library of the House. Our aim will be to make good speed towards the conclusion of an effective treaty.
The conference on disarmament proceeds by consensus, and the timetable for negotiations will therefore depend on the speed with which agreement can be reached on the key 484W elements of the treaty. But we continue to doubt that fixing a firm deadline for the achievement of a treaty will promote the chances of a successful outcome to the negotiations. Our delegation will be supported as necessary by officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence, and staff from the Atomic Weapons Establishment.