Including Nuclear Arms

According to the written statement by the Saxon Interior Ministry addressed to the President of the Saxon Parliament in Dresden (file number 37-0141.50/2128), the use of the Leipzig airport "for the transit of national troop contingents in the framework of the NATO Response Force (NRF) and the EU-Battle-groups" is explicitly confirmed. This admission by the Saxon Parliament conforms to information first made public September 2, 2005 by german-foreign-policy.com.[1]

One Hundred Twenty Tons

The NRF-plan provides for the relocation of up to 21.000 NATO soldiers, within a 5 day period, to foreign countries at any point on the globe, to initiate "intensive combat operations".[2] In participation are land, aerial and naval forces and adequate replenishment, such as rockets, tanks, helicopters and heavy weaponry, must also be on hand. To facilitate the deployment of this military equipment, the German Defense Ministry, declared NATO its willingness to locate appropriate air transporters and airfields. Leipzig was chosen and beginning in 2006, air freight cargo planes, of the AN-124-100 type, will be on standby awaiting deployment orders from NATO and EU [3] at a set price of about 1.2 Billion Euros from now to 2012. The six air freighters are owned by an Ukrainian-Russian Enterprise and each can transport military equipment of up to 120 tons.[4]

Explicitly open

The Saxon government no longer excludes the possibility, that this enormous amount of explosive material and vectors, chemical, biological and nuclear weapons could also be included. Another written government opinion (file number 37-0141.50/2137) explicitly states that even though the transit of nuclear arms is not currently "intended", it s legally possible at any time. The Saxon government literally states, that there is no "prohibition for the transport of certain weapons" through Leipzig, keeping, therefore, explicitly the door open for the transit of nuclear arms and ABC war material trough Saxony.

Adventurous

In its statement, the Saxon government also announced the transit of NATO NRF troop contingents for deployment. Therefore it is incontestable, that "it is not to be excluded" that the Leipzig Airport will be used "by foreign troops bringing military equipment, loading them onto the AN 124-100 for transport to a third state". This is in open contradiction to article 5, paragraph 3 of the legally binding Four-Plus-Two Treaty signed September 9, 1990 with which the WW II victorious powers agreed to the German Democratic Republic (GDR) joining the Federal Republic of Germany. According to this treaty, the stationing or transfer of foreign troops and nuclear weapons on or over the territory of the former GDR is prohibited - a provision initiated by the Soviet Union. In order to get around the provisions of the Four-Plus-Two Treaty the Saxon government is using an adventurous construction.

Temporary

According to the statement, the transit of NATO military contingents, across the territory of the former GDR, does not constitute a relocation. Even the "not to be excluded" cases of the introduction of up to 120 tons of weapons material into Leipzig, and the necessary transfer to the AN 124 - 100 planes at constant standby, does not constitute a stationing. It is merely a planned "temporary stay," which would not violate the Four-Plus-Two Treaty.

Via Leipzig

According to several specialists in international law, this interpretation of the Saxon government is negligible from the legal standpoint, because it is blatantly contrary to the sense of the treaty's text. Article 5, Paragraph 3 was included on Moscow's insistence, in order to prohibit the use of the relinquished GDR territory for logistical and tactical NATO military movements. Advantages of the shortened warning period for eastward launches and flight maneuvers, should not be further accentuated. With this compromise, the treaty partners conceded to Russian fear of a [western] threat, derived from its WW II experience. The Saxon government and its consultant, the Defense Ministry of Germany, are confirming, that those, who already in 1990 were distrustful of the German side's intentions, were right, through the fact that they are re-interpreting the corresponding passages of the treaty. Today, 15 years later, Berlin - via Leipzig - is sneaking NATO's air supported military logistics, nuclear war material, not being excluded, eastward.

Secrecy

As are inadvertently revealed in the Saxon government documents, even the German freight expedition company, DHL, is involved in the militarization of the Leipzig Airport. DHL will merely be charged with the "delivery (...) for those soldiers stationed abroad" - of "mail delivery" - as is characterized for reassuring the simple minded. The ministry would like to have it believed, that it has "no knowledge" of the supplementary military freight in Dresden. The officials of Saxony appear to have been unable to learn, whether DHL or its subsidiaries are at present, already delivering massive quantities of military logistics to the occupation troops in Afghanistan and other parts of the world. A simple question to the DHL management and the Defense Ministry in Berlin would suffice, for learning the full extent of the militarization of alleged civilian freight logistics. That is, under the condition that the secrecy is lifted.

Humanitarian

"What we are hearing are platitudes" says Dr. Michael Richter, of the regional citizens initiative "Ban Night Flights" in referring to "official statements, pretending that NATO plans serve humanitarian aid". These plans - as far as they are accessible to the general public - are neither discussed in the media nor in the political public. The interview can be read here.

[1] see also Windiges
[2] US-Verteidigungsminister Donald Rumsfeld über die NRF-Anforderungen
[3] see also Grenzenloser Krieg, Auf Augenhöhe and Zuwachs
[4] see also Windiges aus der deutschen Luftfahrt