§ Q90. Mr. Lathamasked the Prime Minister whether she will make a statement on the progress of disarmament or arms control negotiations since the conclusion of the Geneva summit meeting.
§ The Prime MinisterAs I told the hon. Member for Liverpool, Riverside (Mr. Parry) on 25 November, at columns391–92, we believe the Geneva summit has given an impetus to arms control negotiations in Geneva. We hope that when the United States/Soviet talks resume in January, the Soviet Union will get down to serious negotiations in order to reach the balanced and equitable agreements we believe are desirable. We believe the United States proposals tabled before the summit offer the basis for progress towards this objective. The United Kingdom will continue to give full support to the United States in the negotiations.
At the mutual and balanced force reductions talks in Vienna, a new Western proposal was tabled by the United Kingdom on 5 December. The conference on disarmament 709W in Europe at Stockholm is expected to conclude its eigth session on 20 December, and the conference on disarmament in Geneva is currently in recess.