HC Deb 03 December 1986 vol 106 cc648-9W
29. Mr. Dixon

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the latest negotiations on arms control.

Mr. Renton

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's statement of 15 November, agreed with President Reagan, set out the priorities for arms control after Reykjavik. A copy of the statement has been placed in the Library of the House.

34. Mr. Patrick Thompson

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current state of the mutual and balanced force reduction talks in Vienna.

55. Mr. Chapman

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about recent progress at those disarmament and security conferences at which the United Kingdom is represented.

Mr. Renton

During the 40th round of the mutual and balanced force reduction talks in Vienna, which opened on 25 September, Britain and her allies have continued to press for a serious response from the Warsaw Pact to the Western initiative of December 1985. Although the Warsaw pact agreed the principle of on-site inspection at the Stockholm conference on disarmament in Europe, it has shown little flexibility on this at MBFR. Nor has it shown willingness to exchange detailed information on force levels, which is the other principle issue under discussion at Vienna.

In the chemical weapons negotiations we are pressing for further progress on verification issues. Although the next session of the conference on disarmament only formally reconvenes on 4 February 1987, we will continue to seek agreement to the United Kingdom initiative on challenge inspection during intercessional work.

75. Mr. Boyes

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what responses there have been to the United Kingdom's compromise proposal on verification of a chemical weapons ban at the conference on disarmament in Geneva.

Mr. Renton

The reaction of other delegations to the conference on disarmament has been generally encouraging. We have particularly welcomed a number of public expressions of support. The United Kingdom proposals are currently the subject of detailed discussion among delegations in Geneva.