BRITAIN was ''wholly in favour'' of a comprehensive nuclear test ban
treaty, Minister of State for Defence Procurement Jonathan Aitken told
the Commons yesterday.
During the second day of debate on the defence estimates, he said:
''We are looking forward to early discussions with the US Government on
whether we can move more rapidly towards achieving it and how this could
help our aim towards discouraging nuclear proliferation.''
Mr Aitken dismissed any suggestion that Britain was against a ban and
said Labour should not link testing with nuclear proliferation as it was
possible to develop and deploy a nuclear device without testing.
Britain was committed to a ban ''as a long-term goal''. It was
awaiting the review by President Clinton on the future of the US testing
programme, he said.
Shadow Defence Secretary
David Clark said that in the preparatory talks on the non-
proliferation treaty, other signatories had made clear ''they want
evidence of progress before they are prepared to sign.''
Liberal Democrat Defence spokesman Menzies Campbell said Britain was
''entirely dependent'' on the United States.
''If the United States determines there should be no more tests, then
we will have access to no more facilities.''
He questioned whether the three tests for which the UK was seeking
authority, were to test a new weapon.
Mr Aitken said: ''We do need a programme of tests we believe for the
continuing safety and credibility of all our nuclear weapons and nuclear
developments.''
For the Opposition, Shadow Defence Minister George Foulkes said the
cuts in the reserve forces announced by Defence Secretary Malcolm
Rifkind on Thursday had been ''the latest in a series of random,
salami-slices'' off the Services' manpower.
''First the regiments, then the full-time sailors and airmen and
airwomen, and now the reserves -- all dictated by the Treasury.''
Dr Charles Goodson-Wickes (Wimbledon -- Con.), a reservist who served
in the Gulf War, said defence spending was set to fall, as a percentage
of Gross Domestic Product, to its lowest since 1935, ''with all the
sinister connotations of that dark age''.
Mr Gordon McMaster (Paisley South -- Lab.) called for compensation to
be paid to British soldiers involved in nuclear tests in Australia and
on Christmas Island in the 1950s.
About 26,000 personnel had been sent out for the tests and 14,000 of
them had witnessed nuclear explosions, he said. Many wore no protective
clothing and there were cases of men ill or dead as a result of the
effects of radiation.
He demanded: ''When are these men, their widows and their families
going to get justice?''
Winding up for Labour, Dr John Reid also called for help for the
British Servicemen sent to witness the tests. ''These 26,000 people are
war wounded. They have been war wounded in the cause of British
defence.''
He urged Ministers: ''Try to treat this as a non-partisan issue . . .
there is only one question and that is when are these people going to
get justice?''
The new Armed Forces Minister, Jeremy Hanley, promised to be ''a
champion'' for the forces. He denied that their size and structure was
dictated by the Treasury.
Labour's amendment attacking the Government over defence policy was
defeated by 277 votes to 228, a Government majority of 49.
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