A European security treaty initiated by Russia saw the light of day on November 30
The idea of a new agreement governing the security principles of the Euro-Atlantic territory is more than a year old.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev introduced the initiative in early June of last year. Meanwhile, the events that followed in South Ossetia that August only strengthened the conviction that such a treaty is urgently needed. Last week, Russia's new draft agreement became public. It was sent to all member countries of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), as well as to the heads of the CIS states. On Nov. 30, the general framework of the document was made public.
The 14-point agreement provisions the consolidation of the principles of unified, equal, and undiminished security in the Euro-Atlantic space. Any security measures of a signatory or group of signatories to the agreement will be decided upon exclusively with the consideration of the interests of other members of the agreement.
Moreover, under the treaty, the actions of one party should not affect their colleagues, nor should anyone support such actions or participate in them. This not only includes direct action against a signatory to the treaty but the provisioning of territory and using the territory of another party as ground for preparation for or implementation of an armed attack against one or more parties to the treaty.
Moreover, treaty members have the right to, in advance and through diplomatic channels, obtain information regarding legislative, administrative, or organizational actions of another party that, in their opinion, affects their security.
The draft agreement provisions several levels of dispute resolution. At the easiest level, members of the agreement hold consultations. Two other options entail holding a conference of the members of the agreement and holding an emergency conference. A treaty member who is claiming a breach or a threat of a breach of the treaty’s provisions may submit a proposal for consultation, inviting a partner or a group of partners to the consultation.
Article 7 of the agreement clearly reflects last year’s conflict in the Caucasus.
“Without jeopardizing the provisions of Article 8 of this Treaty, a Party may consider an armed attack on another Party to be an attack on self,” reads the draft. “In exercising the right to self-defense, under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, he may present the Party, against whom an attack has been carried out, with his consent, the necessary assistance, including military assistance, until the Security Council of the United Nations takes the necessary measures to ensure international peace and security”.
Article 8 of the document, in turn, refers to the emergency meeting of treaty members in case such an aggression occurs, which is to include both parties of the conflict as well as a third party to the treaty.
“An Emergency Conference of the Parties is authorized if it includes at least four-fifths of the Parties to this Treaty,” reads the draft document. “Decisions of the Emergency Conference of the Parties are adopted unanimously and are binding. In the event that an armed attack, or threat of such an attack, is committed by a Party to this Treaty, their voice shall not be included in the total number of votes during the making of the decision.”
