20 June 2002
Fact Sheet on the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty
(Issued June 18 in Washington State Dept. Bureau of Arms Control)
(690)
Following is a fact sheet issued June 18 in Washington by the State
Department's Bureau of Arms Control providing background information
on the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty signed in
Paris in 1990 and adapted in Istanbul in 1999, including area of
application, treaty membership, major provisions, achievements,
implementation, and ratification prospects:
(begin fact sheet)
FACT SHEET
Bureau of Arms Control
Washington, DC
June 18, 2002
CONVENTIONAL ARMED FORCES IN EUROPE (CFE) TREATY
Introduction
The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (or CFE Treaty),
signed in Paris on November 19, 1990, by the 22 members of NATO and
the former Warsaw Pact, is a landmark arms control agreement that
established parity in major conventional forces/armaments between East
and West from the Atlantic to the Urals. It provides an unprecedented
basis for lasting European security and stability. The original CFE
Treaty (which is of unlimited duration) entered into force in 1992.
Following the demise of the Warsaw Pact and the enlargement of NATO in
the 1990s, the then 30 CFE States Parties signed the Adaptation
Agreement at the Istanbul OSCE Summit on 19 November 1999, to amend
the CFE Treaty to take account of the evolving European geo-strategic
environment.
Area of Application and Treaty Membership
The CFE Treaty covers the entire land territory of the States Parties
in Europe from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ural Mountains (ATTU). It
thus excludes much of the territory of Russia and all the territory of
the U.S. and Canada -- all signatories of the original and Adapted
Treaty. The conventional forces of all three countries that are
stationed in Europe are subject to CFE limits. The 30 CFE States
Parties are: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada,
Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary,
Iceland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovak Republic, Spain, Turkey,
Ukraine, United Kingdom, and United States.
Major Treaty Provisions
The original CFE Treaty set equal limits for East and West in the ATTU
on key conventional armaments essential for conducting surprise
attacks or initiating large-scale offensive operations. Those
armaments/ equipment include: battle tanks, armored combat vehicles,
and artillery pieces, as well as combat aircraft (except for naval
air) and attack helicopters. In addition to limitations on the number
of armaments in each category, the Treaty also provides for central
zonal limits to prevent destabilizing force concentrations in Europe
and for regional ("flank") limits, which were modified by the Flank
Agreement of May 1996. Whereas the original CFE Treaty established an
East-West group structure for limiting NATO and Warsaw Pact
conventional armaments, the Adapted Treaty provides for a system of
national and territorial ceilings (the former limits the number of
armaments each state may possess, while the latter limits the total
number of Treaty-limited equipment present within a State Party's
borders); an accession mechanism for new States Parties; enhanced
verification and transparency regimes; and honoring current Treaty
commitments pending entry into force of the Adapted Treaty. The
Adapted Treaty will facilitate NATO enlargement and reinforce the
territorial sovereignty of individual States Parties.
Achievements and Implementation of the Original CFE Treaty
The principal accomplishment of the CFE Treaty has been the
large-scale reduction or destruction of conventional military
equipment in the ATTU during the first 5 years the Treaty was in
effect. By the end of the Treaty's reduction period in 1995, when
equipment limits took effect, the 30 States Parties completed and
verified by inspection the destruction or conversion of over 52,000
battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, artillery pieces, combat
aircraft and attack helicopters. In addition, they have
conducted/accepted over 4000 intrusive on-site inspections of military
units/installations, and of specified areas.
Ratification Prospects for the Adapted CFE Treaty
Ratification by NATO Allies of the Adapted Treaty is awaiting Russia's
compliance with adapted CFE flank provisions and continued fulfillment
of its Istanbul summit commitments regarding withdrawals of Russian
forces from Georgia and Moldova. The Adapted Treaty will enter into
force 10 days after instruments of ratification have been deposited by
all States Parties.
(end fact sheet)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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