February 24, 2009 - 21:50 AMT
CSTO RRF will not be applied against CIS member states
By no means the CSTO Rapid Response Force will be used as police force to settle internal conflicts or political issues, to secure order in the CSTO countries, CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha told a press conference in Moscow.

The decision to use collective forces must be made by all presidents of the CSTO member states and by consensus, he said.

The Collective Rapid Response Force will be used in emergency cases when a state needs help from its allies, Nikolai Bordyuzha said. He expressed hope that the collective forces "will be training and developing, but that there will be no situations when they will have to be applied."

The establishment of the collective force is aimed at countering military aggression, international terrorism, extremism, crime, drug trafficking and dealing with emergency situations, news reports said.

The decision on Collective Rapid Reaction forces formation was passed during CSTO Summit in Moscow on Feb. 4.