PRESS RELEASE M-NACC-2(94)119      For immediate release
                                         2 December 1994


    MEETING OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC COOPERATION COUNCIL
             NATO HEADQUARTERS, BRUSSELS

                  2 December 1994


PROGRESS REPORT TO MINISTERS BY THE POLITICAL-MILITARY
STEERING COMMITTEE/AD HOC GROUP ON COOPERATION IN
PEACEKEEPING


     1.  Reflecting the decision of NACC Ministers
in Istanbul to combine NACC and PfP efforts in the
area of cooperation in  peacekeeping, the Political-
Military Steering Committee of PfP and the Ad Hoc
Group on Cooperation in Peacekeeping have merged. 
The resulting body (the PMSC/AHG) will continue to
serve as the main forum for consultations on
political and conceptual issues related to
peacekeeping.  PMSC/AHG meetings are attended by
NACC and PfP members and those CSCE countries with
experience in peacekeeping who have expressed a
desire to cooperate with the Group.  In an effort to
enhance coordination of efforts with other
organisations, representatives of the CSCE Chairman-
in-Office regularly attend PMSC/AHG meetings;
members of the United Nations Secretariat have also
participated in a number of activities of the group.


I.  CONCEPTUAL APPROACHES

     2.  The Group continued discussions, at a
Seminar held in Brussels on 5th-7th October 1994, of
the evolving conceptual issues related to
peacekeeping.  The Seminar drew speakers from NATO,
the United Nations (including UNHCR and the
UN Department for Humanitarian Affairs), the CSCE,
the WEU, the European Commission, and the
Multinational Force and Observers.  Thirteen
delegations made formal presentations on the
evolution of peacekeeping concepts and doctrines as
well as on their national experiences in
peacekeeping.  The conclusions of the Seminar, and
areas for follow-on work, are summarised in Annex
II.  As a result of the Seminar discussions, the
PMSC/AHG has started a thorough review of the
definitions, principles and criteria set out in the
Report endorsed by NACC Ministers at Athens in June
1993 to see how they can be elaborated upon in light
of peacekeeping experience since that time.  In
addition, the Group is comparing national
peacekeeping doctrines in order to determine where
there are similarities and differences and to
promote better coordination, i.e. carrying out
multinational operations.

     3.  A Seminar on the legal aspects of
peacekeeping has been envisaged for the spring of
1995.  Following up a meeting on 21st October of the
PMSC/AHG reinforced by legal experts, this Seminar
would examine in more depth a number of important
legal questions arising from peacekeeping
operations, including mandates, the legal basis for
presence and action under Chapters VI and VII of the
United Nations Charter, limitations on national
sovereignty, and legal issues surrounding
peacekeeping exercises.


II.  MEASURES FOR PRACTICAL COOPERATION IN
     PEACEKEEPING

     4.   With regard to activities of practical
cooperation, work continued based on the programme
endorsed by Ministers in December 1993. 

     5.   Peacekeeping Exercises : During the autumn
1994 the first three joint PfP/NACC peacekeeping
exercises were held in Poland, The Netherlands and
the North Sea and Skagerrak area. In all, military
forces and/or ships from 20 different countries took
part in one or more of these exercises; 10 Allies
and 10 Partners. In addition many countries sent
observers to the exercises. 

     6.   Thirteen nations and some 650 troops
participated in Exercise Cooperative Bridge from the
12th to the 16th of September in Biedrusko, Poland.
From the 28th of September to the 7th of October 14
countries provided ships and aircraft for Exercise
Cooperative Venture in the North Sea and Skagerrak
area.  Later in the month, from the 24th to the 28th
of October, 12 countries and approximately 1000
troops took part in Exercise Cooperative Spirit in
the Veluwe, central Netherlands. 

     7.   In addition to building confidence and
sharing peacekeeping experience, the exercises
provided many valuable lessons with respect to both
the joint planning and conduct of training and the
interoperability of the forces of Allied nations and
Partner countries when acting together in
peacekeeping.  The 1995 exercise programme will
build upon the lessons learned during 1994 and other
relevant experience, and will promote further
interoperability through the much needed development
of operational procedures, doctrine, training,
command and control, and logistics compatible
between NATO and PfP Partners.

     8.   A number of bilateral and multilateral
exercises have also been conducted in the spirit of
PfP such as the US/Russia Peacekeeper 94 and the
Bulgarian sponsored maritime exercise Breeze 94. A
comprehensive programme of joint exercises is being
developed for 1995 that builds toward progressively
more complex scenarios involving a wide range of
peacekeeping and other activities. As in 1994, a
number of nationally sponsored multilateral
exercises are also scheduled in the "spirit" of PfP
for 1995. 

     9.   Cooperation in Communications and Command
and Control : Communications is an important
dimension of peacekeeping operations and the work
begun last year under the leadership of The
Netherlands continued during the period. An outline
Concept of Communications for Peacekeeping
Operations is being developed, which will take
account of related cooperation efforts on Command
and Control. Work on the feasibility study on the
development of a data base for communications
equipment continues. In addition, the United Kingdom
has taken the lead in developing further mutual
understanding of the complex and important matter of
Command and Control in peacekeeping operations,
including the holding of a seminar on the subject in
summer 1994 and the consolidation of national views
on this issue.

     10.  Cooperation in Training : In mid-1994
Denmark issued a first edition of a Peacekeeping
Course Handbook, summarising information provided by
NACC countries on national peacekeeping courses and
other related training capabilities. An updated and
more comprehensive second edition of this compendium
will be issued in the Spring of 1995. Work is also
continuing under Danish lead on the development of
standards for peacekeeping training. During the
period a number of specific peacekeeping training
courses were conducted under NATO(SHAPE) and
national auspices, including courses for personnel
from NACC countries in Poland, the Czech Republic
and the Nordic countries. In 1995 a number of PfP
nations are offering a range of courses. In
addition, the number of peacekeeping courses at the
SHAPE school will increase, and it is planned to
develop and offer an introductory course on NATO
logistics. 

     11.  Cooperation in Logistics : As a follow up
to the successful logistics seminar in late 1993 and
the subsequent workshop in 1994, a Compendium of
Lessons Learned during Logistics Support of
peacekeeping operations was developed and circulated
to nations.  In 1995, in addition to the logistics
course referred to in paragraph 10 above, it is
planned to examine logistics field procedures in
peacekeeping operations and to consider the
feasibility of establishing a register of
peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance equipment.

     12.  Cooperation in Peacekeeping : The PMSC/AHG
noted that, as a practical outcome of the foregoing,
an important step towards further cooperation in
peacekeeping had been taken through the deployment
of a Lithuanian platoon as part of the Danish
Battalion in the UNPROFOR forces in Sector North
(DANBAT) in Croatia.  The deployment is the outcome
of the bilateral agreement between Denmark and
Lithuania, and is also seen as a step towards the
development of the Joint Baltic Peacekeeping
Battalion.


                 PMSC/AHG WORK PROGRAMME - 1995

         ANNEX TO 2ND DECEMBER 1994 REPORT TO MINISTERS


I.   DEVELOPMENT OF A COMMON UNDERSTANDING OF
     OPERATIONAL CONCEPTS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR
     PEACEKEEPING

     Actions

     A.   To exchange views on concepts, terminology
          and national doctrines on peacekeeping,
          within the NACC/PfP framework;

     B.   To hold a seminar on legal aspects of
          peacekeeping in Spring 1995;

     C.   To broaden and deepen contacts and
          cooperation with the United Nations and
          CSCE on peacekeeping issues, and to
          encourage exchanges of information on this
          subject with other concerned bodies, such
          as the European Commission, and the
          Western European Union;

     D.   Civil-Military Interface: to be taken
          forward as an aspect of work on
          humanitarian aspects of peacekeeping
          operations;

     E.   Public Relations:  a seminar to be held
          during 1995.


II.  COOPERATION IN PLANNING FOR PEACEKEEPING
     ACTIVITIES

     Actions

     A.   Command and Control:  discussion,
          reinforced by experts, on the revised UK
          paper;

     B.   Cooperation in Planning: to proceed in
          harmony with the work in other fora; 

     C.   Identification of Assets:  to proceed in
          light of further development of the UN
          standby arrangements.

III. DEVELOPMENT OF A COMMON TECHNICAL BASIS IN
     PEACEKEEPING

     Actions

     A.   Communications:  support for expert group
          work to develop a concept of
          communications and a feasibility study for
          a communications database;

     B.   Equipment Implications:  possible
          expert-level discussions of equipment
          requirements, including critical
          interoperability issues.


IV.  PEACEKEEPING TRAINING, EDUCATION, AND EXERCISES

     Actions

     A.   support for expert group work on
          peacekeeping course repertoire;

     B.   consideration of PfP/NACC joint exercise
          after-action reports, and of similar
          reports offered by nations concerning
          relevant bilateral and multilateral
          exercises conducted in the spirit of PfP;

     C.   consolidation and analysis of lessons
          learned in all PfP related peacekeeping
          exercises.


V.   LOGISTICS ASPECTS OF PEACEKEEPING

     Actions

     A.   update the Compendium of Lessons Learned,
          based on national inputs;

     B.   briefings on the UN peacekeeping logistics
          manual and the new SHAPE logistics course.

 
        SEMINAR ON PEACEKEEPING AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO
                        CRISIS MANAGEMENT

                       Chairman's Summary


Introduction

     1.   On 5th-7th October 1994 at NATO
Headquarters in Brussels the Seminar on
"Peacekeeping and its Relationship to Crisis
Management" was held, based on the concept agreed by
the Political-Military Steering Committee/Ad Hoc
Group on Cooperation in Peacekeeping (NACC-AHG-
N(94)9(2nd revise)).  About 150 participants took
part in the Seminar, representing 38 countries and
various international organisations, including
humanitarian relief organisations.

     2.   The programme included keynote speeches by
representatives of the UN, the CSCE and NATO. 
Thirteen Delegations - Belgium, Canada, the Czech
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,
Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United
Kingdom - presented national contributions.  Other
presentations were given by representatives of the
European Union, the WEU, the UN Department of
Humanitarian Affairs, UNHCR and the Multinational
Force and Observers.  General Briquemont, in his
capacity as former UNPROFOR Commander in Bosnia-
Herzegovina, and Ambassador Eide of the
International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia,
made contributions based on their personal
experiences.

     3.   This paper provides a descriptive report
of the Seminar.  

Conceptual issues

     4.   The first day of the Seminar was devoted
to a discussion of the recent evolution of the
concept of peacekeeping, such as the development of
the role of peacekeeping and its relationship to
crisis management and a reassessment of new tasks,
including the growing importance of the civil-
military interface in peacekeeping operations.

     5.   It was stressed that the evolution of
peacekeeping concepts has been driven by practical
experience and was, some would say, 'forced change'. 
There has not only been an increase in the number of
peacekeeping operations, but also a rapid growth of
variety in functions and tasks.  The UN
Representative pointed out that the rapid evolution
of peacekeeping functions and practice has preceded
its conceptualisation; accordingly, no new UN
peacekeeping doctrine underpins UN actions in this
field.  Although there are still so-called
'traditional' peacekeeping operations involving
lightly-armed forces operating with the consent of
parties to the conflict, an increasing number of
operations can be labelled multi-functional or
multi-dimensional.  Such operations, which still
involve military tasks, encompass a variety of
functions, e.g. preventive deployment, disarmament
and demobilisation of forces, protection and
delivery of humanitarian aid, restoration of public
order and many other civilian tasks such as
humanitarian rights monitoring and facilitating the
return of refugees. A distinction could be made
between multi-functional operations, based on an
agreed settlement (e.g. Cambodia, Namibia), with
limited duration and a great chance of success, and
multi-functional operations where such an agreement
is lacking (Somalia, former Yugoslavia), with
undetermined duration, greater need to use force and
less chance of early success. A particularly
difficult scenario involves questions in the so-
called "failed states" where one of the objectives
of the peacekeeping mission can be the restoration
of the state authority.  Such questions have unique
features and require handling on an ad hoc basis.

     6.   The growing "grey area" of more complex
multi-functional peacekeeping operations referred to
in a number of presentations sets a requirement for
clear and timely decision-making.  Early involvement
in a crisis is of utmost importance to prevent waste
of time and resources.  Early coordination between
international organisations involved in a
peacekeeping operation and nations taking part in it
is essential to avoid duplications and to ensure
cost-effectiveness.  Participants underscored that
the UN tends to call more on regional organisations
for carrying out UN mandated peacekeeping
operations.  This requires further coordination and
rationalisation of their activities as well as their
modus operandi.  In this context the important role
of the CSCE in early-warning and conflict prevention
was highlighted. Attention was drawn to the CSCE's
status as a UN Charter-Chapter VIII organization,
which under the terms of the Helsinki Final Document
1992 may mandate peacekeeping operations. Although
this has not taken place so far, there is a growing
chance that the CSCE might take such a decision in
the near future, e.g. regarding a multi-national
peacekeeping operation in Nagorno-Karabakh. 

     7.   The multi-dimensional aspect of new
peacekeeping operations also requires a significant
increase and diversification in both military and
civilian tasks, with consequent implications for
training.  The military-civilian interface becomes
more important, in particular as the number of
humanitarian organisations involved in peacekeeping
expands.  For the more complex multi-functional
peacekeeping operations it becomes all the more
important to have staff procedures and organisation
that can be easily understood by personnel from all
participating nations and organisations. 

     8.   Many speakers noted that more assertive or
robust use of force is increasingly needed in
peacekeeping operations, both under Chapter VI and
Chapter VII of the UN Charter.  In particular,
according to some delegations, the concept of
anticipatory self-defense involving greater use of
force could find application at the operational
level to justify offensive action, that would be
covered by Article 40 of the Charter (Chapter VII). 
The UN Representative also referred to "second
generation" peacekeeping questions, where a more
robust use of force does not, however, result in
crossing the threshold between Chapter VI and
Chapter VII.  Against this background a discussion
took place on principles and criteria set out in the
Athens Report.  With regard to the concept of
impartiality, various participants stressed that it
was not synonymous to neutrality.  Impartiality at
the strategic/political level remains key, but
application of the principle of impartiality at a
tactical level should not justify inaction by the
peacekeeping force in case a party is acting in a
way contrary to the mandate and objectives of an
operation.  On the other hand, such action by the
peacekeeping force might be interpreted by the party
concerned as partiality.  Therefore, in practice
strict application of impartiality might prove to be
difficult.  Similar considerations apply to the
principle of consent which should obviously exist
for mounting the operation, but should not be
necessarily sought for every single initiative on
the ground, since this might result in the
impossibility for the peacekeeping force to operate
effectively in carrying out its mandate.

     9.   Although the peacekeeping concept has
developed significantly since June 1993, it was felt
that the definitions of the Athens Report were still
generally valid. However, there might be a need to
elaborate them further to reflect the newly emerging
aspects of current peacekeeping.  Several nations
presented their national peacekeeping doctrines; as
a result, the need was felt to address this matter
in further detail and to try to develop a common
ground. It was also stressed that there is a need
for developing a separate concept, principles and
conditions/criteria for peace enforcement operations
as distinct from peacekeeping.

Experience Gathered So Far

     10.  The second major theme of the Seminar was
the experience gained so far by organisations or
institutions in carrying out multilateral crisis
management and peacekeeping activities, and the need
for further harmonisation of activities in this
area.  Much of the discussion on this topic on the
second and third days of the Seminar naturally
focused on the experiences gained in the former
Yugoslavia, the working relationships developed as a
result of that experience, and areas where there was
need for further work.

     11.  A view expressed by a number of Seminar
participants was that the approach of European
institutions to peacekeeping was evolving, with the
CSCE, EU and WEU all examining new ways to deal with
situations requiring peacekeeping.  Relationships
between the various regional and international
organizations involved in peacekeeping were also
changing as the UN and its agencies began to work
more closely with other regional and non-
governmental organisations on peacekeeping.  In the
past, crisis management structures had been
established to deal primarily with aggression in the
context of collective defense, as was the case with
NATO.  The events in former Yugoslavia caught
virtually all European institutions unprepared and,
as a result, these institutions are now working
towards new approaches and principles that would
permit them to respond quickly and effectively to
future crises.  Crises, seminar participants noted,
are more frequently political in nature, and now
require increased use of diplomatic and political
means, as well as military ones, to contain and
manage.

     12.  Another topic frequently raised in
connection with appropriate responses to crises such
as that in Yugoslavia related to the mandate given
to peacekeepers.  Participants agreed that only the
UN or the CSCE could provide mandates for
peacekeeping operations.  There was general
agreement that, ideally, mandates should reflect a
clear political goal and strategic vision, and be
well-informed by reporting from the field.  In
practice, however, this had proven hard to achieve,
and in fact the process of creating a mandate could
become an iterative one growing out of dozens of
Security Council resolutions, as it has been the
case with the conflict in the former Yugoslavia.  A
broad and flexible mandate, while useful from an
operational point of view, could work against the
objective of a clear goal.

     13.  Related to the issue of a clear mandate
was the issue of unity of command.  A number of
speakers said that peacekeeping operations should
have one commander -- in charge of all military,
humanitarian, and other components of the operation
-- reporting directly to the political authorities
of the mandating organization.  This unity of
command would permit close coordination and avoid
duplication of effort or, worse, effort at cross-
purposes.  Contributing nations need to send well-
trained and well-equipped troops with some
familiarity with local culture, and not second-guess
the decisions of the commander on the ground.  One
presentation noted that, in practice, the success of
Operation Deny Flight seemed to suggest that unity
of effort could be to a certain extent a substitute
(although not an ideal one) for unity of command.

     14.  A common theme that emerged from
presentations was the need for close coordination
and cooperation between all elements of a
peacekeeping operation.  Good communications among
all parties is crucial, and can be facilitated by
regular meetings and staff exchanges and through the
use of liaison officers.  Training of military and
civilian personnel to understand each other's
perspectives and methods of operation is useful in
this regard, although during periods of crisis there
are practical difficulties in arranging training for
staff who are often urgently needed elsewhere.

     15.  Another important lesson learned was the
need for an effective information strategy.  The
objectives of such a strategy would include: 
informing and gaining support and consent of the
local population, maintaining public support in
troop contributing nations, and the establishment of
good relations with the media in the theatre.