§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his policy towards the proposal advanced in April by the treasurer of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, that the United Kingdom write-off debts inherited by countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States from the former Soviet Union in exchange for the provision to the United Kingdom of recoverable nuclear materials.
§ Mr. NelsonThe safety of nuclear materials in the republics of the former Soviet Union is a key concern, as is the whole process of economic adjustment in those republics, including the servicing of debts. The United Kingdom is working closely with other Governments and international institutions on these issues. Linking the two issues, which raise widely differing concerns, would not be helpful.