08 January 2003 00:00
ALEXANDER YAKOVENKO, THE OFFICIAL SPOKESMAN OF RUSSIA'S MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, ANSWERS RUSSIAN MEDIA QUESTIONS REGARDING THE SITUATION AROUND THE TREATY ON CONVENTIONAL ARMED FORCES
22-08-01-2003
Question: A regular session of the Joint Consultative Group on the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe will open in Vienna in a few days. How does Moscow assess the developments in the situation around the CFE Treaty?
Answer: I shall begin with the results. The culmination of the previous session of the JCG was the exchange of information on the conventional armed forces of the states parties to the Treaty.
The information submitted by Russia confirmed that throughout the 2002 year our country had been implementing all the agreed levels of arms and had completely abided by all the Treaty-related political obligations.
Question: Does this mean that the way for ratification of the CFE Treaty is open?
Answer: Regrettably, not. Some of our NATO partners continue to put forward all kinds of pretexts just to prevent the commencement of ratification procedures. At one time the pretext was the question of our observance of the so-called flank restrictions on conventional arms on the greater part of the Leningrad and North Caucasus Military Districts, temporarily exceeded in connection with the conduct of the counter-terrorist operation in Chechnya. Then, when we fitted in with the agreed levels, statements appeared to the effect that this had yet to be verified, something that was impossible without "significant transparency" on the part of Russia. But when this pretext also did not work, they did their best to forget about the flank levels altogether, and now as a condition for ratification the question is being put forward of the observance of the Istanbul bilateral agreements of 1999 with Georgia and Moldova, which have no bearing on the CFE Treaty.
One has the impression that some people do not like the adapted Treaty itself, just as they do not like the other binding disarmament accords - on ABM, biological nonproliferation, the non-militarization of space, and so on.
We must explain in this connection that if ratification continues to be put off, an erosion of the Treaty might occur that will create a threat to its very existence.
I would like to express the hope that all of our partners will, at last, choose the road of constructive cooperation, thus making it possible to preserve the viability of the CFE Treaty.
January 8, 2003
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