HC Deb 03 February 2004 vol 417 cc846-7W
Sir Menzies Campbell

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what policy considerations dictated the UK's vote against UN General Assembly resolution 58/51, Towards a Nuclear Weapon-Free World; and if he will make a statement. [151674]

Mr. Straw

Government policy on nuclear weapons remains as set out in the 1998 Strategic Defence Review and the 2003 Defence White Paper. We are committed to working towards a safer world in which there is no requirement for nuclear weapons and continue to play a full role in international efforts to strengthen arms control and prevent the proliferation of nuclear—as well as chemical and biological—weapons.

Resolution 58/51, Towards a Nuclear Weapon-Free World, has been tabled over several years and contains many important elements that we support. However, as we explained in our Explanation of Vote, the text presented to UNGA 58 contained several elements that were inconsistent with the consensus reached at the 2000 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference. The UK remains committed to the NPT, which we regard as the cornerstone of the global non-proliferation and disarmament regime.

Sir Menzies Campbell

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK is taking in support of UN General Assembly Resolution 58/36, on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space; and if he will make a statement. [151675]

Mr. Straw

The UK traditionally votes in favour of an annual UN 1st Committee Resolution on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS).

We have signed and ratified the Outer Space Treaty that places important constraints on the basing of weapons in space, including a prohibition on the deployment of weapons of mass destruction. However, we derive considerable military and security benefits from the use of space, and would not like to see a general prohibition on the military use of space.

In addition, we support agreement of a programme of work at the Conference of Disarmament (CD) in Geneva, which includes issues relating to PAROS. We also participated in a recent informal seminar on PAROS at the CD.