At the 354th meeting of the Council of Western European Union (WEU), held at ministerial level on 21 and 22 October 1968 in Rome, the delegations discuss East–West relations and particularly the consequences for Europe of the Soviet military intervention in Czechoslovakia. French State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Jean de Lipkowski strongly condemns Moscow’s actions and the entry of troops from the Warsaw Pact member states into Czechoslovakia during the night of 20 to 21 August 1968. But he notes that, in the interests of Europe and of global peace, the only possible policy remains one of détente. The British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Michael Stewart, calls for a consolidation of Western defence and announces Britain’s intention to improve the quality of its contribution to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).