Press Communiqu M-NACC- 2(93)71 Issued at the Meeting of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council Brussels, 3 Dec 1993

Statement We, the Foreign Ministers and Representatives of the member countries of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC), have met today to consult on our cooperation and on a range of regional conflicts and tensions affecting security in our area.Since the inception of our Council, two years ago, our cooperation and partnership have consistently expanded and contributed to our countries growing closer together.We are committed to strengthening our joint efforts for the benefit of stability and security in our area. Our discussions today have been given particular focus by the prospects of a Summit Meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in January, 1994. We look forward to the results of that Summit, which we expect will further advance NATO's adaptation to the evolving European security environment and contribute to further cooperation among us to unite efforts for preservation of peace and security.We welcome the many positive steps already taken and underline the continuing importance of the goal of expanding consultation and practical cooperation in the framework of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council. We stress further the need for opening new perspectives for the consolidation of stability and security in our region, keeping in mind the aspirations of all NACC member countries.In this context, we had a valuable discussion on the "Partnership for Peace" proposal. The cooperation and the consultations which we have pursued until now have already increased transparency, mutual understanding and confidence. This process, together with successful democratic and economic reforms, will continue to contribute to stability in our area.Democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law are the indispensable basis for our joint efforts to realise greater security and stability and a better future for our citizens. To further our cooperation, we have today approved: a new Work Plan for Dialogue, Partnership and Cooperation for 1994; a report from our Ad Hoc Group on Cooperation in Peacekeeping; and a report on defence conversion. Our third Work Plan expands on the basis of experience gained.Our activities over the past two years have brought positive benefits and laid solid foundations for further progress.We aim to: enhance our consultations on political and security related matters, including regional security issues and conceptual approaches to arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation; continue our cooperation on defence planning issues and military matters; *share expertise, among civil and military defence planners and specialists, in the democratic management of defence policy and civilian control of armed forces; encourage the maintenance of forces at minimum levels consistent with legitimate security requirements and international arms control and disarmament commitments; advance our practical cooperation on defence conversion and on security-related economic issues, including those related to defence budgets; develop further practical cooperation on scientific and environmental issues, including ecological problems caused by past military activity and weapons production; consult on air defence matters and launch cooperative activities in the field of defence procurement programme management; continue cooperation among specialists in civil- military coordination of air traffic management; examine ways to exchange information on civil emergency planning, including disaster response at all levels; increase wider dissemination of information on our goals and activities. At our meeting a year ago, we decided to cooperate in preparation for UN or CSCE peacekeeping operations, since regional conflicts threatenstability and security in our area. This has become a central component of our cooperative efforts. On the basis of the common conceptual approach to peacekeeping established by our Ad Hoc Group on Cooperation in Peacekeeping and approved by us in Athens, an extensive programme of practical cooperation is underway.The second report of the Ad Hoc Group adopted by us today underlines the progress achieved in our cooperation, which includes consultation on conceptual and political issues, planning, the development of a common technical base, training and education.Modalities for the conduct of initial joint peacekeeping exercises will be developed early in 1994.Since our countries may be called upon to make practical contributions to UN or CSCE peacekeeping operations, we tasked the Ad Hoc Group to develop further cooperative activities on the basis of the Work Programme for 1994 which we have approved today.We are pleased that representatives of the CSCE Chairman- in-office are participating in this work.This ensures close and effective coordination with this organisation.Our cooperation has also benefited from the participation of Austria, Finland and Sweden - other CSCE countries who have long-standing experience in the peacekeeping field. Converting to beneficial civilian production those defence industries which do not correspond to present security requirements is one of the difficult continuing challenges of economic reform in many countries.In recognition of the importance of this process, we will continue to examine the possibilities for effective, practical cooperation in this field. North American and European specialists have been brought together and a database on conversion expertise has been created at NATO for our common use.Modalities for implementing pilot projects have been established.Our 1994 Work Plan specifies further activities to enhance our cooperation to share practical experience in this field. We reiterate our full support for the CSCE, which has an essential role to play in building security in its area.We welcome the decisions of the CSCE Council in Rome and support their full implementation.The CSCE's authority and its structures need to be strengthened to bring about a more operational involvement of the CSCE in particular in the prevention of conflict.In our work, and particularly in addressing regional security issues, we will continue to support and complement the work of the CSCE. We welcome the progress made in the Forum for Security Cooperation in Vienna, in particular towards the adoption of stabilising measures for localised crisis situations, principles governing conventional arms transfers, measures on military contacts and co-operation and measures on defence planning.We are committed to reaching agreement, by the time of the Budapest Review Conference at the end of next year, on other items in the Programme for Immediate Action established by the CSCE Helsinki Summit, which include such important topics as a code of conduct governing the mutual relations of the participating states in the field of security, the development of the Vienna Document 1992, non-proliferation, and the harmonization of obligations under existing instruments concerning arms control, disarmament and confidence and security building. Despite all efforts of the international community and by our countries to contribute to peaceful settlement of disputes and peacekeeping, violent conflicts persist in various regions, threatening security and stability in our area. We continued our consultations on ways to contribute to resolution of these conflicts.We reiterate our full support for the decisions taken at the 30 November to 1 December 1993 meeting of the CSCE Council in Rome, on Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) and the situation in that region, Georgia, Moldova and Tajikistan. We welcome the completion on August 31, 1993 of the withdrawal of foreign troops from Lithuania in accordance with the relevant bilateral agreements.We stress that withdrawal of those foreign troops remaining in Estonia and Latvia should be completed in an expeditious and organised way based on appropriate bilateral agreements in each case.This is important for regional and European security and stability and should not be linked to other issues.We therefore urge the parties concerned to make constructive efforts to reach, without delay, the appropriate agreements, including settlement on the military installation in Skrunda.We welcome practical assistance and international cooperation facilitating this process. Arms control, disarmament and confidence and security building measures are a cornerstone of the European security structure.Full implementation of existing agreements, effective verification and the development of additional measures are fundamental to increased security and to preventing conflict: We attach utmost importance to the integrity of the CFE Treaty and full compliance with all its provisions by all the states parties.We welcome the substantial progress already made towards implementation of the Treaty, in particular the successful completion of the Treaty's first reduction period.We call on all nations which have not yet provided all information required under the Treaty to do so immediately, including the notification of reduction liability data that fully account for the reduction liability of the former Soviet Union consistent with the Oslo Final Document.We reaffirm our commitment to reach the levels established by the Treaty by November 1995 and thereafter to observe fully the provisions of this Treaty, which remains the necessary prerequisite for enhanced security in Europe.We remain equally committed to full implementation of the CFE 1A Concluding Act. We are also committed to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their missile delivery systems anywhere.We reaffirm our support for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and want to see its unconditional and indefinite extension in 1995.We remain committed to work for an enhanced verification regime.We reiterate our call for all states that have not yet done so to become parties to the NPT as non-nuclear weapon states without delay.We note in this connection that the relevant security assurances given by nuclear weapon states parties will apply to new non-nuclear weapon states parties.We welcome the commitment by the President of Kazakhstan to seek parliamentary approval of Kazakhstan's accession to the NPT as a non-nuclear weapon state by the end of this year.We attach the highest importance to all states fulfilling their obligations under the NPT.In this context, we strongly urge the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to affirm unequivocally its commitment to the NPT and to comply fully with its IAEA safeguards agreement. The START I and START II Treaties are crucial to achieving a more stable strategic situation at radically lower force levels.We reiterate our call for those concerned to redouble their efforts to accomplish the START I ratification at the earliest possible time in order to enable both treaties to enter into force and their provisions to be fully implemented.Assistance provided in support of the rapid, safe and secure elimination of former Soviet nuclear weapons will help to achieve this goal. The Chemical Weapons Convention provides the basis for our joint efforts towards a global, verifiable ban on such weapons.We urge all states to sign and ratify the Convention, thus contributing to its rapid entry into force and the early achievement of universal adherence. We reaffirm our commitment to the full implementation of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, and will join efforts to strengthen it.We urge States Parties to the Convention to request the Depositary States to convene a Special Conference in 1994 to examine the report of the Ad Hoc Experts Group (VEREX) convened by the 1991 Biological Weapons Convention Review Conference to identify and examine potential verification measures. We reaffirm our commitment to increase transparency on conventional arms transfers.We will continue to provide relevant data to the UN Register of Conventional Arms and urge all other states to do likewise. We remain committed to the early entry into force of the Treaty on Open Skies and urge those signatories which have not yet ratified the Treaty to do so with the shortest delay possible.We look forward to wider adherence to the Treaty by interested states which are participating in the CSCE but are not original signatories to the Treaty as provided by Article XVII of the Treaty and called for in the CSCE Open Skies Declaration of 24 March 1992. We welcome the decision of the Conference on Disarmament to begin negotiations on a universal and verifiable Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Finland attended the meeting as an observer. We have accepted gratefully the invitation of Turkey to meet again in Istanbul in June 1994.