Nuclear Disarmament: Conferences

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representation his Department had at the global zero summit on nuclear disarmament in Paris on 2 to 4 February; and what evaluation he has made of the (a) papers discussed and (b) conclusions reached at the summit. (319667)

Our embassy in Paris represented the UK. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister issued a statement welcoming Global Zero's work towards a safer world and setting out the UK's commitment to pursuing the goal of a world free from nuclear weapons.

At the summit, Global Zero launched their 2010 ‘Action Plan’ which sets out a timeframed strategy towards zero in four phases, including a multilateral Global Zero accord. The UK firmly believes that sustainable global nuclear disarmament can only be achieved through a multilateral process, and stands ready to engage in a future broader multilateral process when the conditions are right. The UK is actively working to create the necessary conditions to enable countries to give up their nuclear weapons, verifiably and irreversibly.