§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, pursuant to the statement by the United Kingdom delegate to the committee on disarmament in Geneva on 21 June 1983, Her Majesty's Government intend to table specific and detailed proposals to the proposed working group which would be designed to strengthen the 1967 outer space treaty so as to ban all weapons from orbiting objects other than ones concerned solely with the self-defence of the object itself.
§ Mr. LuceWe believe that the next step to prevent an arms race in outer space would best be taken in establishing a working group at the Committee on Disarmament (CD), along the lines widely accepted last year, in order to examine relevant issues in this context, including existing international agreements and any future initiatives. Given a more constructive attitude to such a486W group on the part of the Soviet Union when the CD resumes on 7 February, we will be ready to play an active role, as foreshadowed in the remarks of the United Kingdom delegate.
§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government, as a party to the 1967 outer space treaty, has had any occasion to report to the Secretary-General of the United Nations any suspected or alleged breaches by other parties of those sections which deal with the installation of weapons of mass destruction in orbiting objects; and whether any other such reports by other states have been noted by the United Kingdom permanent mission to the United Nations or to the committee on disarmament.
§ Mr. LuceWe have had no occasion to report any suspicion or allegation of the placing in orbit of any weapons of mass destruction. Our permanent missions to the United Nations and the Committee on Disarmament are not aware of any reports by other states.