To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his assessment of the efficacy of the international inspection and surveillance of Iraqi nuclear activity in the period before the Gulf war.

The IAEA conducted regular inspections of Iraq's declared nuclear facilities before the Gulf war. Its reports did not indicate any significant diversions of nuclear materials under safeguards. Notwithstanding this, we now know that Iraq circumvented IAEA safeguards in seeking to develop a nuclear weapons capability. This is a cause for concern. The IAEA is considering how to strengthen the system, a process to which the United Kingdom, with European Community partners, is contributing.