§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the policy within NATO of handing down weapons, etc. required to be disposed of under the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Agreement, and whether the legitimate defence of their interests against each other has been used to justify passing weapons to both Greece and Turkey, and what quantities, of which weapons, have been passed to these two governments.
§ Baroness Chalker of WallaseyI refer the noble Lord to the Answers I gave him on 20 October 1993 at columnWA50.
The Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty allows states to "cascade" surplus equipment to other states within their group, providing they remain within overall treaty limits. Under this programme, we understand that Greece has received about 850 tanks, 350 artillery pieces and 1,110 armoured combat vehicles from other Allies. Turkey has received about 850 tanks, 830 artillery pieces and 200 armoured combat vehicles. Use of these cascading provisions allows NATO to maximise its defence capabilities.