Military aspects of European security

1 ) In the view of Karl Tornstensen the reduction of forces in Europe is supposed to lessen the tension, reduce the possibilities of local wars and their escalation, ease the East-West negotiations and enable new initiatives.2) In the official communiqu~ of Tito-Bre~~nev talks in Moscow, June 11, 1972, there was ex~ pressed the view that "the reduction of forces and disarma~ ment, as well as other. [...] They resolved themselves, first of all, to the statement that proposals for the limitation of armaments in Europe can be implemented on the condition of prior or simultaneous definite settlement of "the German problem"; otherwise they would lead to preservation of the status quo in Europe and Western recognition of the GDRXI. [...] It was suggested also that the control system to supervise the implementation of the proposed measures could perform the role of a system of control posts to prevent a sudden attack, which was the matter of special interest for the West. [...] In such an apprehension the fiiBFR proposal appeared as a funda- mental element of the NATO"s "positive" programme as far as the question of East-West relations in concerned, programme competing with the peacefUl proposals of the Sociali.st states and above all with the ide.a of the European Security Confe- rence. [...] the content and the m0tives and aims of the Western MBFR pro- -posals do not mean, of courser rejection of the need or lack of the possibility to discuss the problem of arms control and disarmament in Europe.