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3RD DRAFT
defence matters and make their views known to the member
governments in the WEU Council
EAST/WEST RELATIONS
18.
In pursuit of measures of genuine detente, the
Government is at present engaged with other members of the NATO
Alliance in negotiations aimed at establishing a more stable
relationship with the Soviet Union and the countries of Eastern
Europe; in the Conference on Security and Co-operation in
Europe in Geneva, where neutral and non-aligned countries
also participate; and in the negotiations on Mutual and Balanced
Force Reductions in Vienna. The British Government is
playing a full and positive role in both these negotiations.
19. But progress in these negotiations depends on the Warsaw
Pact's being prepared to demonstrate that detente in its eyes
is not just a device to divide and anaesthetize the West while
the East pursues its goal of progressively shifting the balance
of power in favour of the Soviet system. The West needs to be
convinced, by action rather than by words, that force, or the
threat of force, will not be used against any member of the
Alliance or against neutrals; and that verifiable arms control
measures can be agreed which will increase, rather than diminish,
the security of both East and West. The current East-West
negotiations will put the good will of the Warsaw Pact to the
test.
The Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe
20.
CSCE)
Thirty-five nations are taking part in the Conference on
Security and Co-operation in Europe.
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