Arms control treaty slashed military arsenals in Europe after Cold War

The Associated PressPublished: July 14, 2007

A glance at the main elements of the Conventional Forces Treaty in
Europe:

_ ORIGINALLY CONCLUDED: on November 19, 1990 between NATO and Warsaw
Pact nations.

_ AREA AFFECTED: Between Atlantic Ocean and Ural mountains.

_ FORCE LIMITS: Each bloc was limited to 6,800 combat aircraft and
2,000 attack helicopters, as well as 20,000 tanks, 30,000 armored
personnel carriers, and 20,000 artillery guns. The changes eliminated
the Warsaw Pact’s overwhelming numerical superiority in Central Europe.

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_ DEPLOYMENT LIMITS: Basing of military forces was progressively
restricted near the line dividing the two blocs, thus ensuring that
neither could launch a surprise attack.

_ TRANSPARENCY: The treaty called for both blocs to allow inspectors
from the other side to monitor military maneuvers and other movements,
and to verify the destruction of weaponry.

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_ AMENDED TREATY: Signed in Istanbul on November 19, 1999.

_ MAIN CHANGES: Due to the collapse of the Warsaw Pact and the
defection of many of its members to NATO, bloc force limits were
abolished and replaced by a complex system of ceilings for individual
nations and regions. The new version also called on Russia to pull out
its forces from Georgia and Moldova.

_ SIGNATORIES: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada,
Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary,
Iceland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine,
United Kingdom, and the United States.

_ RATIFIED BY: The amended treaty has so far been ratified by Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Russia.

_ COMPLAINTS: NATO signatories have complained that Russia has not
withdrawn its forces from Moldova’s breakaway Trans-Dniester province.
Moscow says they are peacekeepers preventing a resumption of combat
between the two sides. Russian leaders repeatedly criticized the
treaty’s revised version, saying it was irrelevant due to its continued
non-ratification by NATO members.

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SOURCES: NATO, OSCE, Russian government.