Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those states which are party to the partial test ban treaty but at the present time oppose its amendment to constitute a comprehensive ban on nuclear testing; and what are the declared reasons for each state's opposition.
§ Mr. MaudeIt would not be appropriate for us to speculate on the views of other parties to the Treaty, or to reveal what has been said to us privately on this subject. However, 23 countries abstained or voted against the UN General assembly L25 resolution calling for the PTBT to be converted into a comprehensive test ban treaty. Those countries were the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Federal Republic of Germany, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Israel, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.
Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action the United Kingdom Government have taken since May 1979 to achieve the discontinuance of all test explosions of nuclear weapons.
§ Mr. MaudeThe United Kingdom participated in the unsuccessful trilateral negotiations on this subject, which took place from 1977 to 1980. But, for the foreseeable future, our security will depend on deterrence, based in part on the possession of nuclear weapons. That means a continuing need to test these weapons to ensure they remain effective and up to date. A comprehensive test ban therefore remains a long term goal.