Nuclear
Planning
Group
Gleneagles,
Scotland
21 Oct. 1992
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Final Communiqu
- The Nuclear Planning Group (NPG) of the North Atlantic
Alliance met at Gleneagles, Scotland, on 20 and 21 October 1992.
Iceland attended as an observer.
- We used this occasion to have wide-ranging discussions on
developments in the security environment that affect NATO. The
Alliance's new Strategic Concept underlines the importance of the
Alliance's role in crisis management and warns of the risks to
European security that may arise from serious economic, social
and political difficulties, including ethnic rivalries and
territorial disputes. We are deeply disturbed by the continuing
violence and destruction in and around Europe and, in particular,
we deplore the tragic and worsening situation in the former
Yugoslavia. As made clear last June in Oslo, the Alliance is
prepared to support peacekeeping activities, including by making
available Alliance resources and expertise, and thus contribute
to the peaceful settlement of disputes. In our discussions we
therefore agreed on the need to intensify ongoing practical work
within the Alliance, so that NATO is better prepared to respond
to the international community when required for this purpose,
and we agreed review progress at our December Defence Planning
Committee meeting. We also propose to discuss peacekeeping issues
at the next meeting of Defence Ministers with our cooperation
partners.
- In keeping with our approach to peacekeeping, a NATO naval
force is monitoring, in cooperation with the Western European
Union, the United Nations (UN) embargo and sanctions in the
Adriatic, and a NATO airborne early warning force is monitoring
the UN "no-fly" zone in effect over Bosnia-Herzegovina. Allies
are also making substantial contributions of forces to the
provision and protection of humanitarian assistance and to the
operational headquarters of the expanded UN Protection Force in
Bosnia-Herzegovina. We stand ready to provide further support to
the efforts of the UN to bring peace to the former Yugoslavia.
- In our discussions on nuclear policy, we received with
appreciation briefings by the United States and the United
Kingdom on their nuclear forces. We also reviewed progress in
adapting NATO's nuclear planning, procedures and force posture to
the changing political and military environment. In this context
we further refined policy guidance in accordance with our new
Strategic Concept, which provides for a reduced reliance on
nuclear weapons whilst reaffirming the essential role for the
Alliance of effective nuclear forces, including those based in
Europe.
- The reduction and restructuring of NATO's substrategic nuclear forces in Europe which we endorsed in Taormina continue to progress well. All nuclear warheads from NATO's ground-launched and naval tactical nuclear weapons have now been removed, much earlier than originally envisaged, and those weapons designated to be destroyed are being retired and scheduled for destruction. The reductions in the number of air-delivered nuclear weapons, the only remaining sub-strategic systems to be held by the Alliance in Europe, are underway.
- We have welcomed the announced completion of the withdrawal of all ground-launched tactical nuclear weapons of the former Soviet Union into Russia for destruction. However, we also attach great importance that the parallel commitment to withdraw naval tactical nuclear weapons and to destroy a portion of them should also be fulfilled. We are encouraged by the progress that has been made by Allies in contributing to ensure the safe and secure transport, storage and destruction of nuclear weapons in the former Soviet Union and we will continue consultations in the Alliance on this most important subject.
- We welcomed the agreements reached between the United States
and Russia to cut their strategic arsenals dramatically and, in
particular, to eliminate land-based multiple-warhead
intercontinental ballistic missiles, the most de-stabilising
systems. We also welcomed the arrangements for the implementation
of the START Treaty agreed in Lisbon. We look forward to the
early completion of the process of ratification of the Treaty by
all concerned and the subsequent removal of all strategic nuclear
warheads from Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Recalling the
accords of Alma Ata and Minsk, and the undertakings in Lisbon, we
urge those three countries to take immediate steps to accede to
the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as
non-nuclear weapon states.
- Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction remains a matter
of great concern to all of us. It is vital that the international
consensus against the proliferation of nuclear weapons is
sustained and strengthened. In this context we reaffirmed our
support for the NPT, the cornerstone of the nuclear
non-proliferation regime, and for its indefinite extension in
1995. We welcomed the recent accession of a number of countries
to the Treaty as non-nuclear weapon states and we urge all those
states who are not yet parties to accede. We also welcomed the
conclusion of the negotiations on the global prohibition of the
development, production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons
and on their destruction. We urge the earliest accession to this
agreement by all countries.
- The Spring 1993 NPG Ministerial meeting will be held at NATO
Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium.
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