Arms Control

HC Deb 01 July 1987 vol 118 cc103-4W

24. Mr. Brandon-Bravo

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

25. Mr. Bill Walker

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement concerning British policy on intermediate nuclear forces.

39. Mr. Cryer

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next intends to meet the United States Secretary of State to discuss arms control issues.

53. Mr. Bellingham

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement concerning North Atlantic Treaty Organisation policy in intermediate nuclear forces.

58. Mr. Burt

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

65. Sir Gerard Vaughan

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation position on arms control.

Sir Geoffrey Howe

There has been significant progress in recent weeks in the United States/Soviet negotiations on intermediate range nuclear missiles. The Reykjavik meeting of the North Atlantic Council last month called on the Soviet Union to accept global elimination of United States and Soviet longer and shorter range intermediate nuclear forces missiles. NATO Ministers also confirmed the direction of future arms control negotiations; 50 per cent. cuts in strategic weapons; global elimination of chemical weapons; and an agreement to redress imbalances in conventional weapons.

On conventional weapons, informal contacts between NATO and Warsaw pact representatives have been under way in Vienna since mid-February on the terms of reference for new talks on conventional stability covering the Atlantic to the Urals. Steady progress is being made.

32. Ms. Ruddock

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consultations he has had with the United States Government about a treaty banning intermediate nuclear forces from Europe.

Mr. Mellor

The United States Government is in close and regular contact with ourselves and other partners in NATO about the negotiations on intermediate nuclear forces. As part of the process my right hon. and learned Friend, discussed the INF negotiations with Mr. Shultz last month at the economic summit in Venice and at the North Atlantic Council in Reykjavik. We support the United States proposal for global elimination of US and Soviet longer and shorter range intermediate nuclear missiles.

61. Mr. Wallace

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

Mr. Mellor

As indicated in my earlier reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Mr. Forman) there has been useful progress in recent weeks in the US/Soviet negotiations on intermediate range nuclear missiles. In the strategic arms reduction and space-defence groups significant difficulties remain. The United States has recently tabled a new draft START treaty. Both sides have made new proposals on space-defence which were discussed between Mr. Shultz and Mr. Shevardnadze in Moscow in April.