§ Mr. Soamesasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made at the conference on disarmament in discussion of outer space arms control; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LuceI am pleased to report that on 29 March the conference on disarmament unanimously agreed to set up an ad hoc committee on outer space. The committee has been mandated in the first instance to identify, through substantive examination, issues relevant to the prevention of an arms race in outer space. It will take into account all existing agreements, existing proposals and future initiatives. We have been actively involved in the establishment of this committee and look forward to playing a full part in its work.