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HomeMEDIA RESOURCES201120 April 2011 - DEFENCE CUTS MUST BE COORDINATED, FORMER SECGEN TELLS NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS IN THE HAGUE

20 April 2011 - DEFENCE CUTS MUST BE COORDINATED, FORMER SECGEN TELLS NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS IN THE HAGUE

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NATO member states must be careful to coordinate their defence budget cuts in order to avoid major capability gaps, former NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told a delegation from the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in The Hague on April 19. Decisions on cuts taken in isolation by nations, while understandable, could have serious consequences if not rationalized across Europe.

The delegation, composed of two of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Sub-Committees, visited the Netherlands April 18-20, 2011 for meetings with senior government officials and independent experts on themes ranging from NATO operations in Libya and Afghanistan; the Alliance ’s cyber-posture; and progress on the fight against terrorism since 9/11. 

During a visit to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the parliamentarians met Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz and discussed, among other matters, the Court’s recent ruling on two former Croatian military officials. Brammertz stressed that bringing to justice the two high-profile fugitives Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic is the Court’s top priority.

The delegation, composed of 27 members of parliament from 13 NATO nations, was hosted by Hendrik Jan Ormel (NL), Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Democratic Governance, and co-chaired by Sverre Myrli (NO), Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Future Security and Defence Capabilities.

The Assembly’s Sub-Committees regularly travel to NATO countries for dialogue with officials and independent voices to improve their understanding of that country’s views and contributions.    The visits allow members of parliament to engage in dialogue with each other and with subject-matter experts on the role of NATO.  Delegates were also collecting information for reports that Assembly members will present at their Spring Session in Bulgaria in late May.

A detailed report on the visit will be available shortly. 
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