HC Deb 29 July 1988 vol 138 cc715-7W
Mr. Hill

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what specific mandate has now been granted to the Western European Union agency formed from the merger of the three agencies responsible for studying security questions.

Mrs. Chalker

We support the merger of the three WEU agencies in Paris into one: this should enable their resources to be more effectively deployed in support of revitalisation of the WEU. But the merger has not yet formally taken place, and the question of a mandate for a new agency does not yet arise.

Mr. Hill

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will support the proposal of the Luxembourg Government to instruct the new Western European Union agency to define the tasks and methods of work of a European defence research institute which would be required to improve knowledge in the member countries of the European dimensions of defence questions;

(2) what is Her Majesty's Government's position on the Western European Union assembly's recommendation for the creation of a European Agency, financed by all the Western European countries, to promote research in all areas of conventional armaments and to prepare for the formulation of a European armaments policy.

Mrs. Chalker

We take the view that we should use the existing structures of the WEU as well as other available means in order to strengthen the habit of co-operation among the Europeans in security and to improve knowledge in member countries of the European dimension of defence questions.

Mr. Hill

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what stage has now been reached in the exchange of views leading to the accession of Portugal and Spain to the Western European Union.

Mrs. Chalker

The discussions with both Spain and Portugal which were initiated on 26 May are continuing, and good progress is being made.

Mr. Hill

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government support the accession to the Western European Union of all the European countries of the Atlantic Alliance which wish to join and which commit themselves to the same conditions as governed the Portuguese and Spanish cases.

Mrs. Chalker

Discussions with Spain and Portugal are continuing, but have not yet been concluded. It is therefore too early to say what would be the implications for other countries wishing to apply to join the WEU.

Mr. Hill

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what specific measures Her Majesty's Government will propose in the Western European Union council for the provision of adequate information on a regular basis to the North American media and public regarding the nature, scope and aims of the reactivation of the Western European Union and the specific constraints of Western European Union countries in security matters and European co-operation in that area;

(2) if Her Majesty's Government support the proposal made for the Western European Union council to establish an information bureau in the United States of America.

Mrs. Chalker

Embassies of member countries of the WEU are already working to develop awareness in north America of the WEU's contribution and objectives. The operations of Western navies in the Gulf, in which WEU has played a coordinating role, have received widespread and favourable publicity. The platform of European security principles has also been welcomed.

Mr. Hill

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what stage has now been reached in consultations on burden-sharing in the framework of NATO and in the Western European Union council.

Mrs. Chalker

The issue of burden-sharing is under close examination in both NATO and WEU. At their meeting in May, NATO Defence Ministers commissioned a report on burden-sharing to be presented to their next meeting in December. In the WEU, burden-sharing is being examined in the context of the work of following up the platform on European security interests agreed in November 1987 in The Hague.

Mr. Hill

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria Her Majesty's Government are proposing for assessing the share of the burden that each member of the Western European Union should assume in order to ensure their joint security.

Mrs. Chalker

As part of the work of following-up the platform on European security interests, the members of the WEU are examining together the share they each carry of the burden of the Alliance's common defence and ways of enhancing their contributions.

Mr. Hill

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government will take steps to make use of the experience gained by the Western European Union agency for the control of armaments to ascertain the methods of verification that would enable Western Europe to make a firm contribution to any agreements on the limitation of conventional armaments.

Mrs. Chalker

The western European countries are working with determination towards the establishment of a forum in which conventional arms reductions can be negotiated, but the circumstances and scale of the verification requirements for any conventional arms control agreement are likely to be very different from those under which the WEU agency for the control of armaments has operated in the past.