U.K. CALL FOR NUCLEAR BAN

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31498, 12 October 1967, Page 13

U.K. CALL FOR NUCLEAR BAN

(N Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright)

GENEVA, October 11

Britain has called on Russia and the United States to produce a complete draft treaty within the next three weeks banning the spread of nuclear weapons.

Mr Fred Mulley, the Minister of State at the Foreign Office and Britain’s chief disarmament negotiator, said it was very important to have the treaty’s safeguard clause tabled before the disarmament conference in Geneva by the end of October. In his speech to the 17nation disarmament conference yesterday, Mr Mulley backed the United States call for bilateral talks with Russia on limiting offensive and defensive weapons. Britain was ready to join in any negotiations if they were later proposed In a wider forum, he added. Mr Mulley said Britain agreed with proposals for untrammelled co-operation in the civil development of nuclear energy and was ready to make any “spin off” into civil nuclear technology, resulting from its weapons research, available to nonnuclear states which signed the non-proliferation treaty

The conference has been waiting nearly seven weeks for the crucial article on inspections to police the ban, which was left out when the United States and Russia tabled their joint draft treaty on August 24.

Suggested language for the article is still being thrashed out between the United States

■ which is basically in agreei ment with Russia, and its ■ Western European allies.

Space Treaty In Force

(N Z PA.-Reuter —Copyright)

WASHINGTON, October 11. The United Nations treaty barring military activities in outer space came into force yesterday and President Johnson hailed it as hopeful sign that war and hatred were not inevitable.

He also renewed appeals for United States-Soviet space co-operation at a White House ceremony at which 13 countries deposited instruments of ratification of the treaty, which had been signed on January 27.

Parallel ceremonies took place in London and Moscow yesterday. The treaty governs the activities of States in the exploration and use of outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies.