§ 47. Mr. Gareth Wardellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign arid Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Mr. Gorbachev's recent proposals for the reduction of forces in Europe.
§ Mr. RentonWe welcome Mr. Gorbachev's recognition that it is necessary to address both the imbalance of conventional forces in Europe and the question of nuclear arms reductions. We shall consider his idea carefully in consultation with our allies. Evidence of genuine Eastern interest in conventional arms control would of course be provided by constructive responses to the serious Western proposals on the table at the mutual and balanced force reductions talks in Vienna and at the Stockholm conference on disarmament in Europe.