§ Mr. GapesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his definition of(a) security assurances and (b) security guarantees with regard to (i) the use of nuclear weapons by the United Kingdom against a non-nuclear weapon state and (ii) the commitment of the United Kingdom to defend a non-nuclear weapon state against the use or threet of use of nuclear weapons.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggWe regard a security guarantee as a commitment through an alliance, such as it contained in article 5 of the North Atlantic treaty, under which we and other states parties have undertaken collectively to take the necessary action to restore and maintain the security of each state member of the Atlantic alliance.
We have in addition issued positive and negative nuclear security assurances to certain non-nuclear weapon states in the following terms:
The United Kingdom affirms its intention, as a Permament Member of the United Nations Security Council, to seek 456W immediate Security Council action to provide assistance, in accordance with the Charter, to any non-nuclear-weapon State, party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, that is a victim of an act of aggression or an object of a threat of aggression in which nuclear weapons are used.This assurance was given in the United Nations Security Council on 17 June 1968 and was welcomed by the Security Council resolution 255 two days later.Britain undertakes not to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon States, which are parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to other internationally binding commitments not to manufacture or acquire nuclear explosive devices, except in the case of an attack on the United Kingdom, it's dependent territories, it's armed forces or it's allies by such a State in asociation or alliance with a nuclear-weapon state.The United Kingdom gave this assurance at the United Nations special session on disarmament on 28 June 1978.