WESTERN EUROPEANUNION

COUNCa OF MINISTERS
BONN, 19 JUNE 1992

PETERSBERGDECLARAnON

I.

ON WEU AND EUROPEAN SECURITY

Developments in the security situation in Europe, disannament and anns

control
1.
Ministers reviewed the significant changesthat had taken place in the
security situation in Europe since their last regular meetingin November 1991.
They emphasizedthe importanceof strengtheningthe role and institutions of the
CSCE for peace and security in Europe. They looked forward to decisions at
Helsinki to start new negotiationson measuresof arms control and disarmament
and to enhanceregular consultationsand cooperationon security matters. In the
light of the establishmentof a new CSCE Forum for Security Cooperation, they
considered that decisions to enhance the CSCE's capabilities for conflict
prevention, crisis managementand the peaceful settlementof disputes are of
primary importance.They supportedthe proposalunderdiscussionat the Helsinki
Follow-up meetingfor the CSCEto declareitself asa regional arrangementunder
Chaptervrn of the United NationsCharter. Ministers consideredthat the CSCE
should havethe authority to initiate and pursuepeacekeepingoperationsunder its
own responsibility.
2.
As WEU develops its operational capabilities in accordance with the
Maastricht Declaration, we are preparedto support, on a case-by-casebasis and
in accordance with our own procedures, the effective implementation of
conflict-prevention and crisis-managementmeasures,including peacekeeping
activities of the CSCE or the United NationsSecurityCouncil. This will be done
without prejudice to possiblecontributionsby other CSCE countries and other
organisationsto theseactivities.

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3.
Ministers welcomedthe decisionstaken by the CSCE Council in Berlin
and Prague regarding the relationshipsbetweenthe CSCE and other mutually
reinforcing European and transatlantic organizations including WEU. They
declaredthat WEU, togetherwith the Europe:mUnion, was ready to playa full
part in building up Europe's securityarchitecture.They likewise reaffirmed their
conviction that the Atlantic Alliance is one of the indispensablefoundations of
Europe's security. They welcomedthe ongoing reform processof NATO with
a view to establishinga strong new transatlanticpartnership.
4.
Ministers welcomed the agreementreached at the CFE Extraordinary
Conferenceon 5 June 1992 in Oslo which provides the basis for the entry into
force of the CFE Treaty which has beenand remainsa major objective of their
arms control agenda.Its full and effective implementationwill increasestability
and openthe way to a new cooperativesecurity order in Europe. They call upon
the new Statesparties to the Treaty to ensureits ratification by the time of the
CSCE Summit in Helsinki. Ministers attachgreat importanceto the conclusion
of an agreementon the limitation of personnelstrengthsof ground and air forces
(CFE la) in time for the Helsinki Summitand to the implementationof the Open
Skies Treaty. They reaffirmed their commitmentto the early entry into force of
the Open Skies agreementand invited other CSCE Statesto accedeto the Treaty
in accordancewith its provisions.
5.
Ministers welcomedstepsrecently takenby the Statesconcernedto allow
for the entry into force of the START Treaty and the important agreementon
further strategic reductions reachedbetween the United States and Russia in
Washingtonon 17 June 1992.
6.
Ministers recalledthat the presenceof foreign forces on the territory of a
sovereign state requires the explicit consent of that state. They stressedthe
importanceof rapidly establishing,in the negotiationsunder way, timetablesfor
the withdrawal of foreign troops from the territory of the Baltic States.
7.
Ministers expressedtheir convictionthat a ChemicalWeaponsConvention
can be reached within the next few months. They are confident that this
Conventioncan play an important and pioneeringrole in worldwide multilateral
arms control and call on all memberStatesof the Conferenceon Disarmament
to lend their support to the emergingconsensus.They repeat their commitment
to be amongthe original signatoriesof this Conventionand ask all other nations
to follow this course.

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13. WEU Ministers welcomedthe IEPG DefenceMinisters' decision, at their

Oslo meetingon 6 March 1992,to analysethe future role of the IEPG in the new
Europeansecurity architecture.This representsa positive developmentfully in
line with the objective set by WEU member States in Maastricht further to
examineenhancedcooperationin the field of armamentswith the aim of creating
a WEU EuropeanAnnamentsAgency. WEU Ministers proposethat both WEU
and IEPG experts analysethis issuein depth, carry out an initial examinationof
the role and functions of a possibleEuropeanArmamentsAgency and submit a
report for consideration.
14. WEU Ministers welcomedthe decisionof Eurogroup Defence Ministers
at their meeting in Brusselson 25 May 1992to considerthe possibility, among
other options, and if the necessarypreconditionsare met, of transferring to WEU
some or all of Eurogroup's presentfunctions for which there is still a need.
15. Ministers notedwith satisfactionthe considerableprogresswhich had been
made in setting up the experimentalWEU Satellite Centre in Torrej6n (Spain),
a concrete example of the strengtheningof WEU's operational role, and they
looked forward to the official inaugurationwhich would take place later in the
year. They also notedthat the contractfor the main systemfeasibility study had
been awarded to a consortium of firms from WEU member States led by a
German finn.
Activities of Working Groups
16. In the field of verification, Ministers noted with satisfactionthat a set of
rules for the operationof multinationalteamsin CFE hadbeenpreparedin WEU
and had subsequentlybeen adoptedin the Alliance. This representedthe first
example since the Maastricht Declarationof the introduction of joint positions
agreedin WEU into the processof consultationin the Alliance.
17. Noting the progress which had been made so far, Ministers agreed in
principle to a feasibility study to identify the most cost-effective means of
implementing the Open SkiesTreaty cooperativelyamongmemberStates.They
tasked the group of experts to agreeassumptionsfor the study, to identify the
options which merit further study and to considerthe questionof costs, with a

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view to taking a decision at their next ordinary meetingto proceedwith the

study. They stressedthe readinessof WEU to cooperatewith third parties at a
later stage,and in this context welcomedthe contactswhich had takenplace with
other Europeanallies, as well as with the RussianFederation.They agreedthat
experts should investigatethe possibilities for- intensified cooperation with the
RussianFederation, which could include a joint feasibility study and/or a trial
overflight.
18. Ministers reaffirmed the importanceof the MediterraneanSub-Group's
work on security in the Mediterranean.They adoptedtenDSof referencefor the
establishmentby WEU of a gradual and phaseddialogue with the Maghreb
countries, taking into accountthe political developmentsboth in thesecountries
and in the region.

WEU Institute for Security Studies

19. Ministers noted with satisfactionthe activities of the WEU Institute for
Security Studies in Paris. Its publications, seminarsand colloquia had greatly
contributed to deepening understandingfor the ongoing development of a
Europeansecurity identity and to enhancingrelations betweenWEU and other
Europeancountries.

D.

ON STRENGTHENING WEU'S OPERAll0NAL

ROLE

1.
In accordance with the decision contained in the Declaration of the
memberStatesof WEU at Maastrichton 10 December1991to develop WEU as
the defencecomponentof the EuropeanUnion andas the meansto strengthenthe
European pillar of the Atlantic Alliance, WEU member States have been
examining and defining appropriatemissions,structuresand meanscovering, in
particular, a WEU planning cell and military units answerableto WEU, in order
to strengthenWEU's operationalrole.
2.
WEU member Statesdeclare that they are prepared to make available
military units from the whole spectrumof their conventionalarmed forces for
military tasks conductedunder the authority of WEU.
3.
Decisions to use military units answerableto WEU will be taken by the
WEU Council in accordancewith the provisionsof the UN Charter. Participation
in specific operations will remain a sovereign decision of member States in
accordancewith national constitutions.
4.
Apart from contributingto the commondefencein accordancewith Article
5 of the Washington Treaty and Article V of the modified Brussels Treaty
respectively, military units of WEU memberStates,acting under the authority
of WEU, could be employedfor:
- humanitarianand rescuetasks;
- peacekeepingtasks;
- tasksof combat forces in crisis management,including peacemaking.

5.
The planning andexecutionof thesetaskswill be fully compatiblewith the
military dispositions necessaryto ensurethe collective defenceof all Allies.
6.

Military units will be drawn from the forces of WEU member States,

including forces with NATO missions - in this caseafter consultationwith NATO

- and will be organizedon a multinational and multi-service basis.

-77.
All WEU memberStateswill soondesignatewhich of their military units
and headquartersthey would be willing to makeavailableto WEU for its various
possibletasks. Where multinational formationsdrawn from the forces of WEU
nationsalready exist or are planned,theseunits could be madeavailable for use
under the authority of WEU, with agreementof all participating nations.

8.
WEU member States intend to develop and exercise the appropriate
capabilities to enablethe deploymentof WEU military units by land, seaor air
to accomplishthesetasks.
9.
A Planning Cell will be establishedon I October1992, subjectto practical
considerations,under the authority of the Council. It will be located with the
Secretariat-Generalin a suitable building in Brussels. The Council has today
appointed Maj.Gen. Caltabiano (Italian Air Force) as its first Director. The
Planning Cell will be responsiblefor:
- preparing contingency plans for the employment for forces under WEU
auspIces;

- preparing recommendations for the necessary command, control and

communication arrangements,including standing operating procedures for
headquarterswhich might be selected;- keepingan updatedlist of units and
combinations of units which might be allocated to WEU for specific
operations.

10. The Council of Ministers approvedthe tenDSof referencefor the Planning

Cell

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m.

ON RELAnONS BETWEENWEU AND THE OrnER EUROPEAN

MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION OR rnE
ATLANTIC AI ""'lANCE

A.
Following the Declarationreleasedin Maastrichton 10 December1991in
connection with the Treaty on EuropeanUnion, WEU Ministers recalled the
fundamentalprinciples on which relationsbetweenmemberStatesand associate
memberStatesshould be based:
- settlementof their mutual differencesby peacefulmeans,in accordancewith
the obligationsresultingfrom the modified BrusselsTreaty, the North Atlantic
Treaty and the United Nations Charter, the commitmentsenteredinto under
the terms of the Helsinki Final Act and the Paris Charter, and the other
generally recognizedprinciples and rules of internationallaw.
- in their mutual relations, refraining from resorting to the threat or use of
force, in accordancewith the United Nations Charter.
They also stressedthat the security guaranteesand defencecommitments
in the Treaties which bind the memberStateswithin Western European U mon
and which bind them within the Atlantic Alliance are mutually reinforcing and
will not be invoked by thosesubscribingto Part m of the Petersberg Declaration
in disputesbetweenmemberStatesof either of the two organizations.

B.
In their Maastricht Declarationof 10 December1991, the memberStates
of WEU proposed that Stateswhich are membersof the European U Dion be
invited to accedeto WEU on conditionsto be agreedin accordancewith Article
XI of the modified BrusselsTreaty, or to beComeobserversif they so wished.
Simultaneously,other EuropeanmemberStatesof NATO were invited to become
associatemembers of WEU in a way which would give them a possibility of
participating fully in the activities of WEU.
In accordancewith Part III of the PetersbergDeclaration,Ministers agreed
that the following points should be made in extending the invitation to the
countries interestedin becomingmembers,observersor associatemembers:

-9Members:
Member Statesof the EuropeanUnion which haveacceptedthe invitation
to accedeto WEU undertake
to respect, in accordancewith the principles and values adhered to by all
WEU member States,the BrusselsTreaty of 1948, modified on 23 October
1954, its Protocolsand associatedtexts, and the agreementsconcludedamong
the memberStatespursuantto the Treaty,
to note with approval the agreements,decisions and rules adopted in
conformity with the Treaty, and the Declarations starting with the Rome
Declaration of 27 October 1984,
to develop WEU as the defencecomponentof the EuropeanUnion and as the
meansto strengthenthe Europeanpillar of the Atlantic Alliance in keeping
with the obligation enteredinto on 10 December1991 in the Declaration on
the role of WEU and its relations with the European Union and with the
Atlantic Alliance attachedto the Treaty on EuropeanUnion, and
to acceptin full the substanceof Part ill of the PetersbergDeclaration which
will forIn part of the Protocol of Accession.

Observers:
Member States of the EuropeanUnion, which have acceptedthe invitation to
becomeobservers,
may, although not being a party to the MBT, attendthe meetingsof the WEU
Council without prejudice to the provisions laid down in Article VllI of the
modified BrusselsTreaty; at the requestof a majority of the member States,
or of half of the memberStatesincluding the Presidency,presenceat Council
meetingsmay be restricted to full members;
may be invited to meetingsof working groups;
may be invited, on request,to speak;
will havethe samerights and responsibilitiesasthe full membersfor functions
transferred to WEU from other fora and institutions to which they already
belong.

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Associate members:
Other European member States of the Atlantic Alliance which have
acceptedthe invitation to becomeassociatemembersof WEU, althoughnot being
parties to the modified BrusselsTreaty, may participatefully in the meetingsof
the WEU Council - withoutprejudiceto theprovisionslaid down in Article vm
of the modified BrusselsTreaty - of its working groups and of the subsidiary
bodies, subject to the following provisions:
at the request of a majority of the memberStates,or of half of the member
States including the Presidency, participation may be restricted to full
members;
they will be able to be associatedto the Planning Cell through a permanent
liaison arrangement;
they will have the same rights and responsibilitiesas the full members for
functions transferredto WEU from other fora and institutions to which they
already belong;
they will have the right to speak but may not block a decision that is the
subjectof consensusamongthe memberStates;
they may associatethemselveswith the decisionstakenby memberStates;they
will be able to participate in their implementationunless a majority of the
memberStates,or half of the memberStatesincluding the Presidency,decide
otherwise;
they will take part on the same basis as full members in WEU military
operationsto which they commit forces;
they will acceptin full the substanceof SectionA of Part III of the Petersberg
Declaration which will form part of the associationdocument;
they will be connectedto the member States' telecommunicationssystem
(WEUCOM) for messagesconcerningmeetingsand activities in which they
participate;
they will be asked to make a financial contribution to the Organization's
budgets.

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Space activities
For practical reasons,spaceactivities will be restricted to the present
membersuntil the end of the experimentalphaseof the Satellite Centre in 1995.
During this phasethe new membersandassociatememberswill be kept informed
of WEU's spaceactivities. Appropriate arrangementswill be madefor associate
members to participate in subsequentspace activities at the same time as
decisionsare taken on the continuationof such activities.

Mandate

C.
Ministersmandated
the Permanent
Councilto arrangefor discussionsto
start with the Statesconcerned.
Ministers confirmed their wish to conclude the necessaryagreements
before 31 December 1992.