Western European Union (Hansard, 1 February 1989)

§ Mr. Hill
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes Her Majesty's Government are seeking to each article of the modified Brussels treaty on Western European Union; and why.

§ Mr. Waldegrave
No decision will be taken on possible changes to the modified Brussels treaty until the review of the treaty agreed by the WEU ministerial council on 14 November has been completed.

§ Mr. Hill
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy towards appointing members of the European Parliament as representatives to the Western European Union assembly.

§ Mr. Waldegrave
We believe that the membership of the WEU assembly should be drawn from national parliaments as defence questions do not fall within the competence of the European Community. Any change in the method of appointment would require an amendment to the modified Brussels treaty.

§ Mr. Hill
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to consult the United Kingdom delegation to the Western European Union assembly on the changes he intends to propose to the modified Brussels treaty.

§ Mr. Waldegrave
Yes.

§ Mr. Hill
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the Western European Union ministerial organs intend to follow up the session organised by the French Institute des Hautes Etudes de Defense Nationale in November 1988 in order to make European security requirements better known to public opinion.

§ Mr. Waldegrave
The European session organised by the Institut des Hautes Etudes de Defense Nationale will be followed by similar events organised by other member states including by the United Kingdom in 1990. The WEU secretariat will provide support for these events.

§ Mr. Hill
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the proposal by M. Rocard, Prime Minister of France, to set up a European higher defence studies institute in the framework of Western European Union.

§ Mr. Waldegrave
We have noted the proposal to establish a new WEU institute in Paris. We belies e that the WEU secretariat in London and the WEU agency in Paris should be located together in Brussels and that, in this context, a small agency working inside the secretariat general could provide valuable research support.
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§ Mr. Hill
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the Western European Union council intends to pursue the political impetus it declared it wished to give to arguments co-operation; what relevant initiatives Her Majesty's Government have taken in the council and with what result.

§ Mr. Waldegrave
The WEU council has kept the question of armaments co-operation under review with a view to intensifying such co-operation and maintaining in Europe a technologically advanced industrial base. The WEU also wishes to encourage the activities of organisations such as the IEPG which has already given a new political impetus to arms co-operation.

§ Mr. Hill
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Western European Union council's assesment of the decision announced by the Soviet Union to make major unilateral reductions in its conventional forces in Europe and start destroying its chemical weapons in advance of the end of the Geneva disarmament conference.

§ Mr. Waldegrave
The recent decisions and announcements of the Soviet Union have been discussed within the WEU and are the subject of continuing analysis. But no formal collective assessment has yet been made.

§ Mr. Hill
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government intend to intervene actively in the Western European Union council to ensure that the latter defines and makes public, in accordance with the assembly's recommendations, a joint position by Western European Union countries on specific aspects of arms limitation, giving priority to conventional and chemical disarmament; and when he expects that the Western European Union member countries will make public a collective position on this matter.

§ Mr. Waldegrave
The WEU council is a forum for exchanging views on security and arms control issues. The responsibility for defining and publicising joint positions on specific aspects of arms limitation rests with NATO.

§ Mr. Hill
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why the Western European Union assembly has not yet been informed in any detail either of the existence or of the essential points of the collective position adopted by the Western European Union council on the Start negotiations.

§ Mr. Waldegrave
It is not the function of the WEU council to adopt a collective position on the Start negotiations. These negotiations are bilateral between the United States and the Soviet Union. It would not be appropriate for European members of the Alliance to adopt positions in a forum where the United States is not present.

§ Mr. Hill
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how Her Majesty's Government are considering following up the Western European Union assembly recommendation inviting Governments of member countries to keep the press and public opinion better informed about disarmament issues, including the relationship between arms reductions and defence spending.

§ Mr. Waldegrave
We agree that the Governments of WEU member states have a responsibility to keep their248W press and public opinion well informed about disarmament issues. We already attach importance to such information work and will continue to do so.

§ Mr. Hill
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Governent's policy towards the Western European Union assembly's recommendations regarding the definition of conditions for setting up a European satellite agency in the Western European Union with the initial task of verifying a future conventional arms control agreement; and if he plans to take appropriate steps in the Western European Union council.

§ Mr. Waldegrave
We have noted with interest the assembly's recommendations. We agree that satellite verification may be part of a verification regime for a future conventional arms control agreement. The first step will be to undertake further work to ascertain how effective satellite verification would be. The work of the WEU agency could play a useful role in this.