HC Deb 03 November 1986 vol 103 cc307-8W
Mr. McNamara

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the statement of 23 October, Official Report, column 1299, if there are any proposals to revise the twin track communiqué of 12 December 1979 to incorporate a declaration coupling any agreement between the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the Warsaw Pact on long-range INF systems with constraints on short-range systems.

Mr. Renton

The Alliance has always insisted that an agreement on longer-range INF missiles should include appropriate constraints on Soviet shorter-range INF missiles. That remains the objective of the United States in the Geneva negotiations.

Mr. McNamara

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice he has received from outside Her Majesty's Government concerning Her Majesty's Government's general ability to monitor the maintenance of the ABM treaty in the light of the statement of 23 October, Official Report, column 1295, that detailed matters of ABM treaty interpretation are not matters for Her Majesty's Government.

Mr. Renton

None.

Mr. Boyes

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign arid Commonwealth Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards a negotiated removal of ground-launched cruise missiles without reference to Soviet Srink missiles.

Mr. Renton

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull, North (Mr. McNamara).

Mr. Boyes

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been received against the removal of ground-launched cruise missiles in any arms control deal along the lines proposed at the Reykjavik summit.

Mr. Renton

None. We remain in very close contact with our allies about these issues and fully support the United States' efforts at Geneva to pursue the outline agreement on INF reached at Reykjavik.