§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
What seas or sea areas, if any, they consider to be included in the phrase "Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals".
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Young)There is no internationally agreed definition of the phrase "Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals" and its meaning must therefore be considered in context. The mandate for the recent Stockholm Conference on Disarmament in Europe defined the area of application for the confidence and security building measures agreed at the Conference as being "the whole of Europe as well as the adjoining sea area and airspace". As I made clear in my Answer to the noble Lord on 28th October, the Stockholm agreement provides for the notification of amphibious landings in "the adjoining sea area" when they involve at least 3,000 troops.