Would the Minister agree that this question of disarmament —and in particular that of nuclear disarmament—is the most important single issue facing the international world today? Am I right—and I hope I am and that the Minister will confirm what I took from his answers—that in this regard we are prepared to and will pursue a separate, independent policy, distinct from that which may or may not be taken by our EEC partners who have different priorities from ours in this area and that we will not be inhibited by any activities of political co-operation within the EEC from standing firmly in the cause of multilateral disarmament and particularly nuclear disarmament? Could he not be a little more definite or specific as to particular initiatives that we might take or might consider taking, in Stockholm, the UN or elsewhere, in view of the fundamental importance of this matter? I am sure that the Minister will agree that we have all been absolutely chilled by some films which have been shown recently about the likely aftermath of nuclear explosions.

Of course, I must agree with Deputy Haughey that this is the most important question facing mankind at the moment. The Stockholm Conference, however, is not about nuclear disarmament or nuclear themes and so is not a suitable subject for that. The Irish Government will take an independent line because we are an independent sovereign State not being a member of any military alliance. We must be independent. Having said that, I would not presume that the other nine members of the EEC who are members of NATO are not equally concerned about disarmament and will not equally want to use their influence and bring pressure to bear on the super-powers to sit around the table and bring about that disarmament. Certainly, I must give them credit for that amount of shared concern which we all feel about the future of mankind unless negotiations start about disarmament.

I was gratified this morning to see that two leaders, one from the East and one from the West, agree on how essential it was that the disarmament talks should be resumed as quickly as possible and how essential it was that the two super-powers should be in a position to talk to one another. For that reason, in my United Nations speech and here again today, I welcomed the first move in that direction which has been taken by the meeting between Foreign Minister Gromyko, Secretary of State Shultz and President Reagan in New York last month. That is certainly an improvement on the position when I was present in New York at a United Nations Conference in 1983 when not alone was there no talking going on, but Foreign Minister Gromyko was not even present. In that 12 months there has been that much inadequate movement but the movement has been there.

One final point, I trust that the Minister will not be too sanguine about the position of our EEC partners in this matter. At a special UN conference on disarmament at which I was present a particular EC Government did not award any great priority to the question of disarmament—rather the reverse.

I do not move at the Heads of Government level. At my level I think that they are concerned.

I shall tell the Minister in confidence.

I can guess.