§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they still have no information, good or otherwise, concerning the Israeli nuclear weapon programme and whether they consider disarma-ment by one state alone a more suitable arrangement in the Middle East than they do in Europe.
The Earl of Caithness:On the first part of the Question, we refer the noble Lord to the answer given on 21st February. Regarding regional disarmament, the priority in Europe is to work for arms control agreements which enhance the security of each state by achieving balance at lower levels of forces. The situation in the Middle East is more complex. Long-term security of all states will require tighter controls on arms sales, combined with provision for the legitimate defence needs of individual states. This will be difficult to achieve.