TNAG-0836-FCO40-1044-Comprehensive-Test-Ban-Treaty-national-seismic-stations-on-U-1979 — Page 46

Private Secretary No

42

ex

الله

...JSC 083/13

2 JAZ 1979

4

4

A

B

C

COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN (C3): NACIONAL SEISMIC STATIONS (NSS) IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND DEPENDENT TERRITORIES

1.

Sir John Hunt is likely shortly to submit to the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Defence Secretary a paper by officials on the UK response to the Soviet proposals for 10 NSS in the UK and dependent territories.

The present draft of the paper is attached.

Sir John Hunt is expected to recommend an early meeting of Ministers to decide on a UK position.

2.

The paper calls for decisions on two questions: how the UK delegation should respond to the Soviet proposals when negotiations resume on 5 February; and which Department should bear the costs of NSS.

UK RESPONSE

3.

As

We need to reconcile two conflicting considerations. the Secretary of State has pointed out to the Prime Minister, there is no technical case for 10 NSE. We therefore need to probe the firmness of the Soviet requirements before agreeing to more than 3 MSS. But Mr Jay has noted that since we are eager about the timing and substance of a CTB, it would be damaging to us to hold up, or be seen to hold up, the negotiations.

4.

:

The paper proposes two options (paragraph 15). Option (a), as at present drafted, is to offer 2 or 3 stations only. If the Russians continued to insist on 10, we would then withdraw the UK's bid for membership of the Separate Verification Agreement (SVA). This would have serious consequences for UK interests, including prejudicing the prospects of securing NS3 in the Soviet Union (paragraph 13). It is very doubtful whether the Americans would agree with this course.

5.

Option (b), which was devised by FCO officials, is a more flexible first reaction. It is designed to identify the minimum

Soviet requirement for NSS on British territory without seriously delaying the negotiations. It should put at risk neither our membership of the SVA nor the prospects for securing NSS in the Soviet Union.

TOONDIAL

/COSTS

444

: