§ 21. Mr. Chapmanasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will report progress at the various disarmament conferences.
§ Mr. RentonThe next round of the United States/Soviet nuclear and space talks will begin on 8 May. At the mutual and balanced force reductions talks in Vienna, we have made it clear to the East that their latest proposals represent an inadequate response to the major Western initiative of December 1985. At the conference on disarmament in Europe, we believe that agreement on substantial measures to build confidence and security will be possible if others are prepared to match our readiness to make progress. At the conference on disarmament in Geneva, work on the chemical weapons convention is proceeding under United Kingdom chairmanship.