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Where is European security heading for? |
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17:10, July 20, 2007 |
With the Russia's July 14 announcement of the suspension of its implementation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed forces in Europe (CFE) and related agreements, Russia's dispute with the United States on the anti-missile issue has begun shifting to policy confrontation, and the situation with European security has drawn more and more concerns and worries. On this very issue, People's Daily desk editor Wang Fang has had a dialogue with Luo Yuan, deputy chief of the Foreign Military Studies Dept. of the Academy of Military Sciences of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), Teng Jianqun, director of the Arms Control and Anti-Proliferation Center under the China Institute of International Studies, Fan Jishe, associate research fellow of the American Studies Institute under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Li Xuejiang, PD chief resident reporter in the U.S, and Zhang Niansheng, a PD resident reporter in Belgium.
Desk editor: Could you tell us the cause for Russia's announcement of the suspension of its implementation of the (CFE)?
Luo Yuan：There are many causes involved in this issue. The insistence of the United States on acting arbitrarily on the issue of anti-missile defense system in East Europe，however，led to this ultimate Russian decision. The in-depth cause, however, is the continuous eastern enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which has constantly squeezed Russia's strategic space and further deteriorated the country's security situation. Meanwhile，the improvement and inhancement of Russia's domestic political and economic situation and the rapid rise of prestige with President Vladimir V. Putin constitute both soft and hard bases for Russia to stage a rival drama with the U.S. and Europe.
Teng Jianqun: In fact, Russia's move has been expected. As early as in April this year, President Putin warned Western nations that Russia would withdraw from the treaty when he delivered an annual address to the nation.
In so doing, Russia had two purposes. First, it let out or released a signal to the NATO led by the U.S. that if the organization keeps up its policy of extrusion against Russia, it will do whatever it deems necessary and aim its missiles at both Europe and the U.S. Second, it will iprepare itself for an all-round pullout from CFE. It is Russia's set policy to pull out, and the question is only the choice of the right, opportune time.
Desk editor: Obviously, the biggest excuse for Russian to suspend its obligation to CFE comes from the menace of its security interest, and its move is said to have a certain legal basis.
Teng Jianqun: Russian can fully ascribe the suspension of its obligation to CFE to the ensuring factors: Russia is currently faced with the threat from the eastern enlargement of NATO and the US move to deploy anti-missile defense system right at its doorway. And not a single NATO nation has so far ratified the CFE but instead any NATO nation has stepped up the national defense construction and the modernization of its army forces.
It should be acknowledged that there is a world of difference between the suspension of its obligation to CFE and its withdrawal from the Anti-ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty in 2001, whereas the latter did not have adequate reason.
Desk editor: the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, a cold war-era armed limitation agreement, has been an accord reached by the two military blocs after long-term, acute bargains. Then, what are its main contents and what restrictions have been set for the deployment of conventional arms in Europe?
Teng Jianqun: CFE was signed by the then 16 member nations of the NATO and then six member countries of the Warsaw Pact Organization, and it was also called the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty.
The 100-page treaty comprises 23 formal articles, affiliated with a number of protocols on weapons classification inventories, information swap, verification and confirmation. It listed tanks, armored vehicles, heavy artilleries, fighters and helicopters into the scope for restriction.
Luo Yuan：This is Europe's first conventional armed forces agreement; its scope of application covers the whole of Europe from the Atlantic Ocean coast to the Urals, and the obligation scope of the treaty confined solely to the NATO nations and the Warsaw Pact countries; it has no binding force for neutralized nations and non-aligned countries in Europe.
Teng Jianqun: The U.S., Russia and 23 other countries signed the CFE-1 Agreement in Helsinki on 10 July 1992, which further defined the quota of armed forces for each country; it required the total Russian military forces not to exceed 1.45 million, Ukraine not to exceed 450,000, the US servicemen stationed in Europe not to exceed 250,000, Britain not to exceed 260,000 and France not to exceed 325,000.
Luo Yuan: Security environment of Europe kept deteriorating toward the end of the cold war era. The Chechen issue inside Russia and the eastern enlargement of the NATO posed extremely grave challenges for Russia's national security. For this reason, NATO held negotiations with Russia for the revision of the treaty, and on 19 November 1999 adopted the Agreement on Adaptation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. The Agreement after adaptation was open to all European countries instead of only being limited to the original NATO and Warsaw Pact countries.
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