§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
What discussions they have had with the United States Government on the subject of NATO expansion, and specifically whether the United States Secretary of State's suggestion that expansion be accelerated is compatible: (a) with the United Kingdom's and other European states' parliamentary procedures; (b) with the advice they are receiving on the implications of accelerated expansion for the international arms control regime, for stability in Eastern and Central Europe, and in Russia; and (c) with the arrangements being developed for the WEU, and for the EU in the IGC.
§ Baroness Chalker of WallaseyWe maintain close contact with the United States Government on NATO enlargement. We share the United States' Secretary of State's hope that accession negotiations with those countries that are invited at the Madrid Summit will proceed quickly and smoothly. These negotiations will have no direct effect on other international business or the European Union Intergovernmental Conference. 107WA Ratification by national parliaments will proceed according to their individual practices and timetables.
§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the character and purpose of the charter which the United States Secretary of State proposes should be offered to the Russian Government by NATO; what would be its status within the OSCE and the EU; and whether they agree with President Chirac that an agreement between Russia and NATO needs to be discussed by West European Governments, as well as those of the United States and Russia, to enable it to be concluded before the Madrid NATO summit, and endorsed there.
§ Baroness Chalker of WallaseyWe are committed to the establishment of a close co-operative relationship between NATO and Russia, which we would be happy to see enshrined in a Charter. The NATO Secretary General is discussing this and other aspects of NATO/Russia relations with the Russian government on behalf of all Allies. Such a Charter would be concluded between NATO and Russia. It would not imply formal obligations for other international bodies, but it would be a document of considerable weight in European security.
§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the military exercises being held jointly by Israel, Turkey and the United States, which involve the Commander of the United States Sixth Fleet who is also NATO Commander in Chief of Southern Forces, are, through his Commander, associates with NATO, and what are the implications for NATO's evenhandedness in the Turkish/Greek disputes centering on Cyprus and the Aegean, and in the disputes between Israel and Palestine.
§ Baroness Chalker of WallaseyThe US 6th Fleet may operate as either a national or a NATO force. The fact that the Commander 6th Fleet has separate NATO responsibilities, does not entail an association of the Alliance with activities that are conducted in his national capacity.