NATO Wants East, West at Exercises
NATO member countries have proposed that all 35 nations represented at the East-West security conference be allowed to attend major military exercises in Europe to reduce the risk of accidental war.
“Observers should have a map of the area, a list of all activities, the opportunity to talk to commanders and soldiers of all ranks, and the practical means to monitor the exercise,” Klaus Metscher, a West German delegation counselor, told reporters at a briefing last week.
The proposal was closely linked with a set of proposed procedures introduced earlier this week as a Western “flagship” at the conference on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures and Disarmament in Europe.
The new proposal, formally introduced as Working Document IV, called for two observers from each conference country to attend all excercises.
But he said observers would be barred from “restricted areas” such as airfields, submarine bases and classified military equipment.
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