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latters' jurisdiction, and thus the balance of military
strength between such nations and the individual European
allies threatens to alter in the formers' favour. These
factors combine to suggest a growing interest on the part of
the Western Europeans in finding common solutions to common security problems.
25. It is pertinent in this regard to note the following remarks by Soviet Foreign Minister Shevardnadze:
"In the Middle east and South-West Asia, ie, in close
proximity to Europe, powerful weapons arsenals are being created. It is not enough just to mention that 25,000
tanks and 4,500 aircraft are deployed and ready for combat in the Middle East and there is a real danger of
nuclear and chemical weapons appearing there; missiles have already appeared with an operational range of 2,500
km, that is to say, of precisely the same class that is being eliminated from Europe. This new situation is emerging against the background of the mounting trend
toward European disarmament. The conclusion is obvious: the processes of disarmament in Europe and settlement in the Middle East have to be synchronized." (15)
GOVERNING CONSIDERATIONS
26. The overriding consideration that emerges from the foregoing discussion is that there will be a continuing and potentially increasing requirement for UK military involvement OOA. This requirement will have to be met in a world in which
wars threaten to be more destructive, and with forces which will probably be smaller than todays. These factors suggest a
15.
Eduard Shevardnadze's Address to Vienna Meeting 6 March 1989, Soviet News, 8 March 1989.
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