§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the threat posed to the Falkland Islands by development of the Condor missile.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonWe are concerned about the potential destabilising effect which Condor could have in any area of the world where it might eventually be deployed. As far as the threat to the Falkland Islands is650W concerned, we keep this constantly under review. At its present stage of development, Condor appears to lack the accuracy to pose a realistic military threat, and it would be politically counter-productive for Argentina to threaten to use it against the Falklands. If she were ill-advised enough to do so, we are confident that it would not prevent reinforcement of the islands.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of(a) chemical and (b) high explosive warheads for the Condor 2 missile.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonIn principle, both high explosive and chemical warheads could be developed for a missile of this type. Any step in the direction of developing a chemical warhead would of course be a serious further enhancement of Condor's destabilising potential.