§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress made to date in the implementation of the conventional forces in Europe treaty in Hungary, the Cezech and Slovak republics, Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe 22 states of the North Atlantic Alliance and the Warsaw Pact signed the conventional forces in Europe treaty on 19 November 1990. The United Kingdom ratified the treaty on 19 November 1991. Thirteen other states have also ratified, including the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic, the Republic of Hungary and the Republic of Poland.
The treaty will not enter into force until all signatory states have ratified. The main obstacle to entry into force is uncertainty over the application to the armed forces of the former Soviet Union of treaty provisions on equipment holdings.
NATO and other CFE signatories have together established a high level working group to address these problems. The British Government are committed to early entry into force of the CFE treaty, which we regard as a cornerstone of stability in the new Europe.