§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why they have voted against or abstained from resolutions in the United Nations General Assembly on "preventing an arms race in outer space" (PAROS); and whether in future they will support such Resolutions; and [HL2561]
Whether they consider that the weaponisation of space should be a subject for "preventative diplomacy" by the United Nations or by any other party. [HL2564]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)As I told the noble Lord on 12 January 1998 (WA 123), we have made clear that we have no objection to re-establishing an Ad Hoc Committee at the Conference on Disarmament on this issue. Together with other European Union member states, we abstained on the United Nations General Assembly resolution on this issue because we did not wish to prejudge the outcome of further disarmament debate within the Conference on Disarmament.
We will carefully consider the text of future resolutions when they are tabled.
§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have given any undertaking to the United States not publicly to object to their current research and development programmes for the weaponisation of space as announced in the Quadrennial Defense Review, in the United States Defense budget and in other official documents of the United States Administration, and currently embodied in the test programmes planned later this year for an airborne laser weapon. [HL2562]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanAs I told the noble Lord on 12 January (WA 123–4), no such undertakings have been given.