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2ND DRAFT
machinery and to the willingness of members to subordinate national
preoccupations and aims to the common interest.
30. The gap between the NATO and Warsaw Pact position remains wide
and little substantive progress has been achieved so far. But this
does not necessarily mean that the gap cannot be bridged.
Negotia-
tions are taking place in a constructive and business-like atmosphere.
The Government therefore believes that, given goodwill, an outcome
acceptable to both sides can be achieved.
31.
The British Government will continue to work for a successful
outcome to the negotiations, and does not therefore propose, in
advance of mutual and balanced force reductions, to reduce the forces
which we maintain in Germany in accordance with our Brussels Treaty
obligations.
US/USSR Bilateral Negotiations
32. The second phase of the bilateral Strategic Arms Limitation
Talks (SALT) began in November 1972 and has borne fruit in the
agreement in principle reached by President Ford and General Secretary
Brezhnev in Vladivostok in November 1974. on an outline of a new
ten-year agreement on strategic weapons. When finalized, this
agreement will limit strategic launchers, missiles and bombers, to
an equal level of 2,400 on each side. It will also set a common
ceiling for each side of 1,320 missiles armed with Multiple
Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles (MIRVs). This is a
significant step forward from the first Strategic Arms Limitation
agreement in May 1972 (SALT I), in that bombers are introduced into
the negotiations for the first time, a ceiling is set for missiles
with MIRVS, and equal limits are established for both parties.
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