BACKGROUND: Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe

Nov 23, 2011, 12:14 GMT

Brussels - The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) was signed in 1990 by members of NATO and the Warsaw Pact and set limits for conventional weapons on both sides, excluding nuclear arms and missiles.

Both alliances agreed to hold no more than 20,000 combat tanks, 30,000 armoured combat vehicles, 20,000 artillery weapons, 6,800 fighter jets and 2,000 attack helicopters.

At the same time, both sides were to inform each other about their military equipment, storage sites, destruction of arms, exercises and troop movements.

After the Warsaw Pact crumbled along with Europe's Communist regimes, the CFE treaty was updated so that the arms limits applied to countries and geographic areas rather than alliances, an amendment that granted flexibility to Russia.

Although Russia and a handful of Eastern European countries ratified the amendment, NATO did not, because they argued that Moscow had not implemented its voluntary pledge to withdraw from Moldova and Georgia.

In 2007, Russia suspended the implementation of the treaty, citing the West's refusal to ratify the amendments and US plans to set up NATO missile defences in Europe.

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