§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Defence what progress is being made in the United Nations Committee on Disarmament towards a convention to abolish the use of chemical weapons.
§ Mr. SpeedThe Geneva Gas Protocol of 1925 bans the use of chemical weapons between parties. Most of the major Powers who are signatories to the protocol—including the United States, United Kingdom and USSR—have interpreted this as a ban on "first use". Since 1976 there have been bilateral discussions between the US and USSR on banning the possession of chemical weapons but the Soviet Union has been unwilling to countenance the necessary verification measures and there is no prospect of an early agreement. In 1980 the Committee on Disarmament set up a working group on chemical weapons where there have been some useful exchanges of views, particularly on the verification aspect. The United Kingdom played a full part in this working group.