Appendix
1. The Government is grateful to the House of
Commons Defence Committee for its report Arms Control and Disarmament
(Inspections) Bill. The Government welcomes the report and
notes the Committee's substantive recommendation that the House
should pass the Bill, thereby allowing timely ratification of
the Adapted CFE Treaty when the time is appropriate. The Government
shares the Committee's conclusion that the Adaptation Agreement
brings important further benefits to the original Treaty by providing
greater transparency of the deployment of conventional equipment
throughout Europe, whilst also enhancing confidence and security
through a new and more constraining system of individual national
and territorial limits.
Changes to the Inspection Regime and the inspection
burden for the UK
2. The Committee's Report sets out the various
changes to the inspection regime introduced by the 1999 Adaptation
Agreement, leading to the requirement for additional rights of
access to private property for foreign inspection teams conducting
Section VII (Declared Site) and the new Section IX (Designated
Area) inspections in the UK. The Government shares the Committee's
view, borne out by historical evidence of inspection activity
under the original CFE Treaty, that if the number of Section VIII
inspections remains low and Section IX inspections are not triggered,
as we expect, the demands placed on individual private owners
should not be significantly increased by the enhanced inspection
regime and the enactment of the Bill (paragraphs 10-21).
Compliance with the Treaty
3. The Government welcomes the Committee's statement
that as Russia can be said to be in compliance with its Adaptation
Agreement commitments in the Flank Zone, this should not be seen
as an issue when ratification is considered. The Government
is satisfied that Russia's compliance with the Adapted Treaty
limits in the Flank has brought us closer to ratification, although
where inspection opportunities allow, verification of continuing
Russian compliance in the Flanks will be undertaken by UK inspectors.
Ratification
4. The Government notes the view of the Committee
that because the Act would give the Government the ability to
ratify the Agreement by Statutory Instrument, consideration of
the Bill itself needs to be focused on the question of ratification.
As the Committee notes in its report, the basis for the UK position
on ratification of the Adapted Treaty is the principle of host
nation consent, on which the Istanbul commitments are based.
The Government agrees that the UK and NATO allies will need to
make a judgement on when these commitments have been effectively
met. The Government agrees that Georgia and Moldova should be
encouraged to take a constructive and flexible approach to their
own ratification, and, given the importance of the Adapted Treaty,
that it should not be held hostage to bilateral differences (paragraphs
37-42).
5. The Government also agrees that Russia has
a pivotal role to play. The UK will continue to press Russia
on the need to create the necessary conditions to allow all States
Parties to ratify the Adapted Treaty. In Moldova, the UK is providing
inspection teams to assist in ongoing monitoring of the removal
of ammunition, and will continue to maintain pressure on all those
concerned to reach a political settlement. And in Georgia, FCO
and MoD Ministers have decided that, when the conditions are right,
a UK inspection team should make efforts to inspect the base at
Gudauta.
Further Parliamentary scrutiny
6. The Government welcomes the Committee's recommendation
that the House should pass the Arms Control and Disarmament (Inspections)
Bill. The Government is content to give a specific undertaking
in the Second Reading debate on the Bill to notify the House at
least 21 days in advance of its decision to proceed to ratification,
to allow for additional discussion of the issues at that time
(paragraphs 43 & 44).
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