§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the other states armed with nuclear weapons; and what progress he has made, following the statement on nuclear disarmament agreed at this year's Non-proliferation Treaty Conference at the United Nations. [135328]
§ Mr. Hoon[holding answer 2 November 2000]: I have had discussions on a range of subjects with my counterparts from the other nuclear weapon states since the conclusion of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in May. We will continue to work with the other nuclear weapon states in the spirit of our joint statements to the 2000 NPT Review Conference and the meetings of its Preparatory Committee. We are unequivocally committed to the global elimination of nuclear weapons and welcome the successful agreement of a final document at the Review Conference containing a package of measures on nuclear disarmament.
The United Kingdom's constructive role in negotiation of that document has been widely recognised.