U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
95/05/31 Statement on Partnership for Peace at NAC Ministerial
Office of the Spokesman
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
(Noordwijk, The Netherlands)
____________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release May 31, 1995
STATEMENT BY
SECRETARY OF STATE WARREN CHRISTOPHER
ON THE PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE
AT
THE NORTH ATLANTIC COOPERATION COUNCIL MINISTERIAL MEETING
Huis ter Duin
Noordwijk, The Netherlands
May 31, 1995
It is a pleasure to join you today for this sixth ministerial meeting of
the North Atlantic Cooperation Council. In my remarks today, I will
focus on the Partnership for Peace. Let me begin by congratulating all
Partner governments for helping the Partnership get off to such a strong
start. This political support and active participation are what has
made the Partnership's early success possible.
At the 1994 NATO Summit in Brussels, President Clinton proposed a
practical program that would build on the dialogue and consultation
initiated so successfully by the NACC. Already, that program -- the
Partnership for Peace -- has evolved from a mere concept to a key
component of Europe's security structures. Though the Partnership for
Peace is barely 16 months old, the principles and objectives upon which
it is built are at least as old as NATO itself: shared values and
interests, mutual commitment, and close cooperation.
Since we last met in December, Allies and Partners have made substantial
progress in broadening and deepening the Partnership:
-- Austria, Belarus, and Malta have joined, raising the number of
Partners to 26;
-- Four more Partners -- Albania, Estonia, Latvia, and Russia --
have concluded Individual Partnership Programs with NATO, and several
other Partners are already updating previous IPPs;
-- Detailed planning is well under way for our robust program of
PFP activities in 1995, which includes a first-ever Partnership training
exercise in the United States, involving forces from 12 Partner and 3
Allied states;
-- NATO and 14 Partners have begun participating in a PFP Defense
Planning and Review Process aimed at improving transparency and inter-
operability; and,
-- NATO has approved a comprehensive PFP funding policy and taken
other steps to ensure that the Partnership has the resources it needs to
meet its objectives.
The success of the Partnership depends on both Partners and Allies. As
the Partnership Framework Document sets forth, Partners must ensure
their own participation in PFP activities. This will require each
Partner to make the budgetary and other adjustments necessary to achieve
a level of participation commensurate with its national objectives.
At the same time, Allies recognize that we must do our part to help.
The United States is providing $30 million in this fiscal year in direct
support of Partner participation. As President Clinton pledged in
Warsaw last July, he has requested $100 million for this purpose in
fiscal year 1996. Other Allies are making contributions, and yesterday
I urged them to do more. But such aid can only supplement, not replace,
Partner efforts.
While participation in PFP activities has been very strong, we must
work to advance the political objectives of the Partnership as well.
This includes ensuring democratic control of defense forces, and
promoting transparency in national defense planning and budgeting.
Many Partners have made significant progress in these and other areas.
NATO can and should do more to help. In drafting or refining their
Individual Partnership Programs, Partners should place due emphasis on
these objectives.
We are very pleased with the progress Allies and Partners have made in
developing a PFP Planning and Review process. So far, 14 Partners are
participating. These Partners have set specific goals for improving the
ability of their forces to work alongside NATO forces in exercises and
future joint operations. The Planning and Review Process is also a
valuable mechanism for exchanging information on overall defense and
financial planning. Finally, the process can help Partners interested
in joining NATO improve and monitor their compatibility with Allied
practices, including with respect to military doctrine. Next week in
Brussels, our defense ministers will meet to consider practical next
steps to invigorate the planning and review process.
Our objective now must be to maintain the Partnership's impressive
momentum, and to broaden and deepen our cooperation. The development of
the Partnership is a dynamic process. As Partner needs and
circumstances evolve, the Partnership must be adapted and upgraded
accordingly. Just as NATO is adapting itself to post-Cold War
realities, the Partnership must rise to meet new challenges.
Yesterday, I outlined, on behalf of the United States, a number of areas
where I believe we can intensify the relationship between NATO and its
Partners. These include working on ways to ensure democratic and
civilian control of the military, widening the Partnership's focus, and
working more closely together in the planning of Partnership exercises.
The Alliance remains fully committed to the Partnership as an important
and lasting part of Europe's new security structures. For those
Partners interested in joining the Alliance, it is the best path to
membership. For all, it remains a dynamic and practical link to NATO,
and a channel for close cooperation. Whether seeking to join NATO or
not, whether interested in one area of cooperation or many, Partners
should aim to forge strong ties with NATO that will help achieve their
particular goals. Allies are committed to strengthening the Partnership
even after NATO begins to admit new members.
The stark Cold War lines of confrontation that once defined security
relations are gone. The peoples of your nations played a crucial role
in bringing us to this hopeful point. We now share an unparalleled
opportunity to build a comprehensive and inclusive security architecture
for Europe.
NATO enlargement and the Partnership for Peace are key components of
this architecture. Our broad approach to security also envisions a
strengthened OSCE, an enlarged EU, and a strong NATO-Russia
relationship.
All of us should be proud of what we have already achieved in the
Partnership for Peace. We have demonstrated that countries that for
generations stood on opposite sides of a dangerous line of distrust
could together obliterate that line and cooperate for their common
security. But we must not rest on our laurels, or limit our
aspirations.
Working together, we can build a safer, more integrated, more democratic
Europe for the next 50 years and beyond.
Thank you.
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