ACCESSION NUMBER:00000
FILE ID:96121001.POL
DATE:12/10/96
TITLE:10-12-96  CONGRESSIONAL REPORT, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10

TEXT:
(Lugar/Nato Enlargement)  (230)

LUGAR CALLS ON CLINTON TO SUPPORT NATO ENLARGEMENT

Republican Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana, a senior member of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has urged President Clinton to
brief Congress and the American people on what Lugar termed "the
strong case" for NATO expansion.

"It is essential that Congress and the American people be engaged in
this historic discussion and have a good understanding of what is at
stake," Lugar said in a written statement issued December 10.

"The future of NATO and transatlantic relations is in large part
dependent on the success of our leadership," he said. "If the
administration fails to gain approval in Congress for NATO expansion,
it will suffer a devastating defeat and a severe disruption in our
foreign policy."

Lugar, who has supported NATO enlargement for the past three years,
said "U.S. domestic security and prosperity depend on a stable, secure
Europe," and the best way to ensure this "is to anchor and integrate
Eastern Europe into the West once and for all."

The Lugar statement was released to the press as NATO foreign
ministers gathered in Brussels to discuss NATO expansion. Issues
expected to be discussed include criteria for admittance to NATO,
opposition voiced by Russia and others to expansion of NATO, and
expansion costs.
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