§ Mr. D. Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the full text of the Brussels Treaty Organisation Agreement of 20th December, 1950.
§ Mr. Ian Harvey, pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 8th February, 1957; Vol. 564, c. 101], supplied the following further information:
Text of Resolution by the Brussels Treaty Consultative Council on 20th December, 1950, on the future of the Western Union Defence Organisation in the light of the reorganisation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation military structure.The Consultative Council have considered the suggestion of the North Atlantic Council that the Brussels Treaty Powers should review the status of the Western Union Defence Organisation in the light of the establishment of an overall North Atlantic Treaty Command Organisation.2. The Consultative Council have noted
- (i) that it has been decided to dissolve the existing European Regional Planning Groups with their Regional Chiefs of Staff and principal Staff Officers Committees;
- (ii) the view of the North Atlantic Council that when the new N.A.T.O. Command Organisation is established it will be unnecessary and undesirable to have a parallel Western Union Command and that the new Headquarters suggested for Western Europe should be directly under S.H.A.P.E. and should not be responsible to the Western Union Defence Committee.
3. The Council agree that, in the light of this re-organisation, the continued existence of the Western Union Defence Organisation in its present form is no longer necessary. They 20W accordingly instruct the Permanent Commission to consider in consultation with the Western Union Military Committee, acting on the instructions of the Defence Ministers, how the proposed re-organisation can best be effected and what military machinery, if any, needs to be retained under the Brusels Treaty.4. The Council affirm that these new arrangements will in no way affect the obligations assumed towards each other by the signatory Powers under the Brussels Treaty. In particular, the Consultative Council established under Article VII, including the non-military organs set up under the Council, will continue to function, and the reorganisation of the military machinery shall not affect the right of the Western Union Defence Ministers and Chiefs of Staff to meet as they please to consider matters of mutual concern to the Brussels Treaty Powers.