Representatives from 30 States review CFE Treaty in Vienna

VIENNA, 30 May 2006 - Representatives of 30 States gathered in Vienna today for the Third Review Conference of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, widely known as the CFE Treaty.

As one of the most far-reaching disarmament and confidence-building measures agreed, the Treaty is frequently referred to as "the cornerstone of European security".

The representatives will review the Treaty between 30 May and 2 June.

"Given its five-year frequency, the CFE Review Conference is a rare event of particular significance and one of the most important international forums for security, disarmament and arms control," said Dr. Rakhat Aliyev, Kazakhstan's First Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Representative on Co-operation with the OSCE in an opening statement.

The CFE Treaty, which was signed in November 1990 and entered into force in 1992, provided for significant cuts in conventional military arsenals of NATO and former Warsaw Pact States. Since it entered into force, more than 60,000 battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, artillery, combat aircraft and attack helicopters have been disarmed.

Although not an OSCE document or event, the CFE was negotiated in parallel with talks among participating States of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe - the OSCE forerunner - on confidence-building measures.

The Treaty provides a system of limitations, known as ceilings, and ensures military transparency through mandatory notification of certain military activities and holdings. A review conference is held every five years.

As the Treaty was originally designed to provide military security and stability in Europe by ensuring parity between NATO and Warsaw Pact in conventional armaments and equipment, the changed environment after the Warsaw Pact was dissolved and NATO enlarged in the 1990s gave rise to the need to adapt it.

An Agreement on Adaptation of the CFE Treaty was signed by all States Parties in Istanbul in 1999. The Adaptation Agreement, which has been ratified by four states so far, provides for a system of national and territorial ceilings instead of the former East-West group structure. Until all 30 States Parties have ratified the Agreement, the original CFE Treaty remains in effect.

A number of States Parties have declared they intend to ratify the Adapted CFE Treaty once the commitments concerning the withdrawal of Russian forces and ammunition from Georgia and Moldova, as agreed in Istanbul in 1999, have been fulfilled.