At the 538th meeting of the Council of Western European Union (WEU), held at ministerial level on 5 June 1978 in Bonn, the delegations discuss the development of East–West relations. British representative John Tomlinson and Olivier Stirn, French State Secretary to the Foreign Minister, note that bilateral relations with the countries of Eastern Europe are moving in the right direction. The French representative mentions that some progress has been made in the SALT talks but points out that the Soviet Union has also undertaken a series of actions that are likely to harm détente. The Soviets have delivered significant quantities of arms to Africa, increased their offensive military capacities directed at Europe and failed to comply with the provisions of the Helsinki Final Act in the area of human rights. Olivier Stirn nevertheless affirms that détente should remain a constant factor in Western policy.