Nuclear Arms (Hansard, 11 June 1990)

§ Mr. Livingstone
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which terrorities, for which the United Kingdom is internationally responsible, lie within the zone of application of the 1967 treaty of Tlatelolco; and what are the United Kingdom's rights and obligations under the treaty.

§ Mr. Waldegrave
The territories of the Falkland Islands. South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, British Virgin Islands. Anguilla and Montserrat lie within the zone of application of the Treaty of Tlatelolco.
Only Latin American states can be full parties to the treaty. The United Kingdom has, however, signed and ratified both the additional protocols to the treaty. Under protocol 1 the United Kingdom, in the territories above, must use exclusively for peaceful purposes the nuclear material and facilities which are under its jurisdiction and prohibit and prevent:

(a) the testing, use, manufacture, production and acquisition by any means whatsoever of any nuclear weapons directly or indirectly; and

(b) the receipt, storage, installation, deployment and any form of possession of any nuclear weapons, directly or indirectly.
Under protocol 2 the United Kingdom has undertaken not to contribute in any way to the performance of acts violating article 1 of the treaty itself in the states to which the treaty applies. Article 1 essentially prohibits and prevents those acts in (a) and (b) above.

§ Mr. Livingstone
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Truro (Mr. Taylor) of 4 May,42W Official Report, column 694, for which regions of the world Her Majesty's Government supports the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones.

§ Mr. Waldegrave
We support the establishment of nuclear weapon free zones in those regions where their creation can contribute to regional security, to nonproliferation and to disarmament in general.

§ Mr. Frank Cook
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the reply on the nuclear non-proliferation treaty review conference,Official Report, 9 May 1990, column 181, what resources and support team of civil servants will be committed by his Department to the review conference; what issues, excepting organisational matters, were raised at the nuclear non-proliferation treaty third preparatory meeting to which he refers; if his Department will provide any resources to non-governmental organisations wanting to attend the nuclear non-proliferation treaty review conference; and whether Her Majesty's Government will support observer status for non-governmental organisations at the conference.

§ Mr. Waldegrave
Under the financing formula for the review conference, we are committed to paying 6.13 per cent. of the total costs. I expect to lead the United Kingdom delegation initially. Subsequently, the delegation will be led by Her Majesty's representative to the conference on disarmament. The delegation will comprise a number of officials.
The third preparatory committee dealt only with organisational matters, although other issues were discussed in the margins of the meeting.
We do not plan to make available any financial assistance for non-governmental organisations to attend the review conference. The draft rules of procedure for the conference do not make any provision for non-governmental organisations to be granted observer status, but they may attend meetings of the plenary and of the main committees, in which case they are entitled to receive the documents of the conference.

§ Mr. Mullin
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if his Department has prepared a submission for the fourth review conference of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty later in the current year.

§ Mr. Waldegrave
I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 9 May at column181 to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, East (Mr. Strang).

§ Mr. Orme
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what new initiatives Her Majesty's Government have planned in arms control and disarmament.

§ Mr. Waldegrave
We and our NATO allies agreed at the North Atlantic Council meeting, held at Turnberry on 7 and 8 June, thatWe would instruct our negotiators at the Vienna talks on conventional forces in Europe to pursue new approaches to mutually acceptable solutions, in particular on armour, aircraft and verification. As soon as a CFE agreement is reached, allies will be prepared to undertake follow-on negotiations to further enhance security and stability in Europe. Negotiations on United States and Soviet short-range nuclear weapon systems in Europe should begin shortly after a CFE agreement is concluded. 43W The CSCE process should be strengthened and given effective institutional form.
A copy of the Communique from the meeting is being placed in the Library of the House.

§ Mr. Orme
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonweatlh Affairs whether any states have indicated an intention to withdraw from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

§ Mr. Waldegrave
No.