§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any comment to make on the new Russian "military doctrine", which envisages Russian forces being sent throughout the ex-Soviet Union on "peace-keeping" missions to ensure the well-being there of ethnic Russians.
§ Lord Mackay of ArdbrecknishPublished accounts of Russia's military doctrine refer to the need to carry out peacekeeping operations on decisions of the UN Security Council or in keeping with international commitments assumed by the Russian Federation.
On 1 December, the Rome Council of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) agreed that the CSCE should consider on a case-by-case basis co-operative arrangements to ensure that the role and functions of a third party military force in a conflict are consistent with CSCE principles and objectives. This would be applicable to Russian-led peacekeeping operations in the former Soviet Union.
§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their opinion of the new Russian "military doctrine", official Russian comment on which advises ex-Warsaw Pact states and ex-Soviet states to refrain from joining or closely associating with a nuclear-armed alliance—i.e. NATO—on pain of becoming targets for Russian nuclear weapons.
§ Lord Mackay of ArdbrecknishWe are aware of no official Russian comment on the military doctrine to the effect that ex-Warsaw Pact states joining or becoming closely associated with NATO will become targets for Russian nuclear weapons. All the countries of the former Warsaw Pact, including Russia itself, are already associated with NATO through their membership of the North Atlantic Co-operation Council.