On 25 January 2011, the second plenary meeting of the ELN took place in London. The meeting focused on NATO Deterrence and Defence Posture after the Lisbon Summit, with a special emphasis on NATO nuclear policy with attendees such as Jamie Shea NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges Division.
The NATO alliance published its new Strategic Concept in Lisbon last November and committed itself to a further review of its deterrence and defence posture in 2011. This wider review represents an opportunity for the alliance to show leadership on nuclear issues and to take further steps toward greater cooperation with Russia.
With attendees including political, military and diplomatic leaders from across Europe as well as analysts and senior representatives from NATO, the meeting offered an opportunity for members of the ELN to discuss these contemporary issues at a time when Alliance Policy is under review.
This meeting is the first part of a series of activities on NATO nuclear policy and relations with Russia being planned by the ELN for 2011.
Attendees to this first meeting included::Dr Hans Blix, former Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs, former Head of UN Monitoring, Verification & Inspection Commission;Admiral The Lord Mike Boyce, former Chief of Defence Staff; Ambassador Rolf Ekéus, former Swedish Ambassador to the US and to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva; Mr Vahit Erdem, Head of the Turkish Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly; Mr Ruud Lubbers, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands; Gen. (Ret) Bernard Norlain, former French Air Defense Commander and Air Combat Commander of the French Air Force and military adviser to Prime Ministers Chirac and Rocard; Lord David Owen, former Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary; Mr Volker Ruehe, Former Defence Secretary of the Federal Republic of Germany; Edmond E. Seay III, First Secretary, US mission to NATO, Brussels;Dr Jamie Shea, Director of Policy Planning at NATO; Baroness Shirley Williams, former Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords and ICNND Commissioner; Mr Kåre Willoch, former Prime Minister of Norway; Dr Ian Anthony, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI); Professor Michael Clarke, Director of RUSI; Dr Mustafa Kibaroglu, Bilkent University, Turkey; Mr Hubert Knirsh, Office of former Federal President Dr. Richard von Weizsäcker, Berlin.
