On 20 September 1973, the British delegation to the Council of Western European Union (WEU) proposes amendments to the draft reply (WPM(73)24) to Recommendation 238 of the WEU Assembly on European security — relations with the countries of Eastern Europe. The British emphasise that the development of genuine détente between East and West, which has become a real possibility since the opening of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), does not reduce the need to maintain an adequate defence capability. They stress Europe’s contribution to Western defence and mention the Standing Armaments Committee (SAC), the Eurogroup, the European Defence Improvement Programme (EDIP) and the Standing Naval Force Channel. The recommendation emphasises that the United States intends to maintain and improve its forces in Europe. On the matter of the negotiations on mutual and balanced force reductions (MBFR) in Europe, the British delegation notes that the aim of these negotiations is to secure, step by step, practical arrangements which ensure undiminished security at a lower level of forces. There can therefore be no question of creating a neutral zone. With regard to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT), the WEU Member States must ensure that the negotiations do not jeopardise their security or their interests.