12. Conventional arms control*
Zdzislaw Lachowski

Challenged by the fact of NATO enlargement and the need for a new approach to military security, the states parties to the 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE Treaty) pursued businesslike negotiations in 1997 on the adaptation of the treaty, which led to the July Decision by the Joint Consultative Group Concerning Certain Basic Elements for Treaty Adaptation. The implementation of the 1996 Agreement on Sub-Regional Arms Control (the Florence Agreement) effected reductions in heavy armaments of the former warring parties in the former Yugoslavia and created a militarily stable environment which it is hoped will enable further steps towards stability in the Balkans as a whole.

Russia pledged a 40% reduction in its land and naval forces and proposed confidence- and security-building measures (CSBMs) for the Baltic Sea region, offering good prospects for a regional security dialogue. Outside Europe, the most promising regional security dialogue was in the Asia-Pacific region, with moves towards increased security-related confidence building and maritime cooperation.

CSBMs in Europe are reviewed by Zdzislaw Lachowski and Patrick Henrichon in appendix 12A. The OSCE Forum for Security Cooperation agreed on a number of amendments and undertook to launch a process of general 'modernization' of the Vienna Document 1994. The 1996 Agreement on CSBMs in Bosnia and Herzegovina was in its second year of successful operation. Elsewhere in Europe, regional confidence- and security-building efforts are shown to have had a mixed record: in one area raising hopes for progress (the Baltic Sea region), while in the south-eastern part of the continent failing after a short-lived accord (on Greek-Turkish relations).

Appendix 12A, by Zdzislaw Lachowski and Patrick Henrichon deals with CSBMs in Europe.

Appendix 12B, contains the 1997 Decision of the Joint Consultative Group Concerning Certain Basic Elements for Treaty Adaptation.