Federation-Cardassian Treaty
The Federation-Cardassian Treaty was a treaty signed between the United Federation of Planets and the Cardassian Union in 2370.
- In 2367, an agreement called the Federation-Cardassian Armistice of 2367 had been signed between the Federation and Cardassian government in order to end major engagements. This was supposed to be the end of hostilities due to the Federation-Cardassian War.
The Federation-Cardassian Treaty primarily dealt with the status of the Federation / Cardassian border, leading to the establishment of the Demilitarized Zone or "DMZ." Within this area of space, neither side was permitted to deploy armaments, or establish military bases. However, the Cardassians had violated the treaty's predecessor twice before in 2367 and 2368.
The official border, which ran through the zone, had to be redrawn, requiring the exchange of several planets. Though the colonists on these worlds were given the option of resettlement, many refused as they felt that their rights had been violated. The resulting dissatisfaction led to the establishment of the underground insurgency group called Maquis. The Maquis fought against both the Federation and the Cardassians in order to live as an independent non-aligned confederation and even had a military base and four planets of their own in the Neutral Zone.
In 2373, the Dominion-Cardassian alliance wiped out all Maquis colonies in the DMZ.
The Dominion was aware that the treaty was being signed. The Jem'Hadar considered it to be "a tactical error" on the Federation's part.
