§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether it is their view and the view of NATO that maritime forces have and can have no bearing on stability in Europe, and if this is not their view why are maritime forces and confidence and security building measures excluded from the statement issued by the North Atlantic Council, on 8th December.
§ Lord TrefgarneAs made clear in a number of statements issued by the North Atlantic Council, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's priority in conventional arms control is to achieve stability in conventional forces in Europe, with particular emphasis on the elimination of capabilities for surprise attack and large-scale offensive action. The alliance's proposals for the forthcoming negotiations on conventional forces in Europe will focus on the land forces most relevant to those objectives, such as tanks and artillery.