§ 69. Sir Anthony GrantTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he proposes to meet representatives of the Western European Union; whether he supports enlargement of the Western European Union; and if he will make a statement on the defence implications of such enlargement.
§ Mr. Ian StewartMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State next plans to meet his WEU colleagues in The Hague168W on 18–19 April. All member countries have agreed that the WEU is not a closed shop, but that any enlargement should strengthen, not jeopardise, its cohesion. We would therefore expect any new members to accept and give concrete expression to the obligations of both the Brussels treaty and the WEU's platform on European security interests, agreed by WEU Ministers at their meeting in The Hague last October.