§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there is any limit to the "field of common concern" for which NATO is deemed to be "an essential transatlantic forum for allied consultations" (as stated in the Government's Observations on the House of Commons Defence Committee Report on the Future of NATO and the Washington Summit); whether there are any limits to NATO's "wider role beyond collective defence"; and, if so, where these various limits may lie. [HL3465]
§ Lord GilbertThe Alliance's commitment to consultation is encapsulated in Article 4 of the Washington Treaty, 4 April 1949, which states that: "The Parties (to the Treaty) will consult together, whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of the Parties is threatened."