asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps, if any, which can be taken by our Government at United Nations level or otherwise to encourage the United States to ratify the Salt II agreement.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Salt II Agreement.
21.
As the Deputy is aware, the Second Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty was signed by Presidents Brezhnev and Carter in Vienna on 18 June 1979. Before the treaty can come into effect it must be ratified by both the United States and the Soviet Union. At present two Committees of the United States Senate are examining the Treaty. In my address last month to the United Nations, and speaking both as foreign Minister of Ireland and President in Office of the European Communities, I welcomed the signing of the treaty at Vienna and urged its early entry into force.
While I recognise that the ratification of the treaty is a matter for the states directly involved, I hope that the treaty will enter into force at an early date since I believe that it will make a considerable contribution to the arms control process and open up prospects for further reductions of both strategic and tactical nuclear weapons.
I accept the Minister's point about the involvement of the people who are signing the Treaty—the Americans and Soviets. Is it not a fact that in any future nuclear confrontation in western Europe there will be no noninvolved people and that the importance of Salt II is that it is likely that Salt III will lead to a reduction in armaments, which is something everybody fervently hopes for?
I agree with the Deputy and share his concern. I have also referred to this matter publicly on other occasions and on behalf of the nine Foreign Ministers in the context of the Helsinki process which also has a security and disarmament element in it. It is important to keep the need for this constantly before the two parties concerned.