Article in "La Revista de Defensa" March 1997

"NATO: Preparing for the Madrid Summit" By Javier Solana I believe that Europe is going through a crucial period - every bit as formative as the formative years which shaped Europe in the 1940s and early 1950s. The signs are very positive that we will succeed in making Europe a safer, more stable place than it has been in this century. There is good reason to be optimistic. A new European Security Architecture is visibly taking shape. Through the Intergovernmental Conference the European Union is preparing for the next century - for a Union that is both wider and deeper. Within the OSCE, discussions on a Security Model for the 21st Century are laying the ground rules for a wider security community. The adaptation of the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe has begun. And the Atlantic Alliance is preparing for a major Summit meeting in Madrid in July. Taken together, these processes will define the shape of Euro-Atlantic security beyond the end of this decade. All institutions are moving in the same direction, towards the same goal: a Europe without dividing lines, an architecture wherein each country is free to take its rightful place and each country can make its full contribution to security. We are not there yet, but there has been good progress. For the past few years have not only seen developments in the theory of the security architecture, but in practice. We have seen practical cooperation between NATO and its former adversaries, including Russia. We have seen the European integration process grow without losing its momentum and attractiveness to others, and we have seen proof of a functioning transatlantic partnership. We are developing European Security and Defence Identity within NATO, by making available Alliance assets and capabilities for operations involving our European Allies. Most of all, we have seen an unprecedented international effort - by nations as well as organisations - to end the Balkan war and secure lasting peace for that region. The international presence in Bosnia demonstrates the growing commitment to cooperate in solving such conflicts. NATO is there in a coalition for peace, which involves the Russians and many others alongside the NATO Allies. Many international organisations are cooperating to help reconstruct Bosnia economically and physically. In Bosnia we see the efforts of NATO and its Partners, the OSCE, the EU, the UN and many non-governmental organisations coming together to create a viable framework for political and economic progress. So, the notion of a security architecture based on institutional cooperation and a wide coalition for peace is not just an academic concept; it has become a political reality. NATO has played a considerable role in getting us to were we stand today in Bosnia. And there can be no doubt that NATO occupies a central place in the emerging new European architecture. Indeed, at the NATO Madrid Summit in July NATO will make a further major contribution to European security as a whole. First, we will invite one or more countries to begin accession negotiations with the Alliance. Our goal is to be able to welcome the new members by 1999, the year we will celebrate NATO's 50th anniversary. The opening of NATO should be seen - and appreciated - for what it is: a natural part of the wider process of European integration, a means of reinforcing in the new democracies the confidence in their destiny and respond to their sense of belonging. These countries want to join NATO for the same reason the current members don't want to leave it. There should be no doubt of the very positive effect on Europe's stability of NATO's opening up. Already, many countries who hope to join have established democratic controls over their military forces. And, most significantly, the incentive of joining NATO has encouraged a number of countries to address and solve many of their bilateral territorial or minority issues. I can see no purpose which would be served by keeping NATO as it is, reflecting a division of the past, and confining Central Europe to an indefinite state of uncertainty. Second, in order to ensure security and stability for all of Europe, we will have to take into account the needs of those countries who do not join or who may join later. We are going to intensify PfP to allow our Partners to become increasingly involved in our consultations and planning for emerging crises. In this new "PfP plus", aspiring NATO members will be able to intensify their preparations for membership. For other Partners, PfP plus will provide additional reassurance that they will remain closely tied to an enlarged Alliance. As a further step in the process, we will work with Partners on the initiative to establish an Atlantic Partnership Council (APC) as an overarching framework for our cooperation. Our goal is to inspire a more productive consultative and cooperative process, in which Partners would be even more deeply involved. Third, we aim to reach agreement with Russia on arrangements that would cement a strong, stable and enduring security Partnership. Indeed, a European security architecture worth its name must be one that gives the largest European state, Russia, its full place. NATO and Russia are now engaged in a discussion which will continue through the months ahead. Progress is emerging although difficulties remain. I believe that both sides are genuinely committed to a successful outcome. Our aim is to reach, by the time of the Summit, an agreement with Russia which could be expressed in a document whose format remains open. We foresee four main areas: the shared principles that would form the basis of our partnership; a broad set of areas of political cooperation; mechanisms for consultation; cooperation and possibly joint action; and mechanisms for military liaison and cooperation. A permanent military representation would enable the Russians to see with their own eyes what NATO is really about. A true partnership can only emerge through a continuous and trustworthy dialogue. Fourth, the Alliance will also develop further its relations with Ukraine. An independent, stable and democratic Ukraine is of strategic importance for the development of Europe as a whole. The Alliance is committed to the development of a "distinctive and effective NATO-Ukraine relationship" which could also be formalized, possibly by the time of the Summit. Fifth, we will enhance our Mediterranean dialogue. Security in Europe is closely linked with security and stability in the Mediterranean, and the Mediterranean dimension is one of the various security components of the European security architecture. Our dialogue with non-NATO countries in the Mediterranean underlines that we are interested in creating good, strong and friendly relations across the Mediterranean just as we have done across Europe. Sixth but not least, the Summit will put the finishing touches to a reformed command structure. The new structure will be smaller, and will contain two important innovations. The first is the introduction of the Combined Joint Task Forces (CJTF) concept. This will provide the Alliance for the first time with an expressly organised capability to deploy a peacekeeping force into a crisis area. Most significantly, this option is not conceived as a NATO-only capability. From the outset, CJTFs are designed to operate with the participation of non-NATO countries. The second innovation in the new structure concerns the European Security and Defence Identity. Over the past months, we have been developing the means by which European Allies could draw on NATO's support for possible operations led by the Western European Union. So, in this way, NATO is making its own strong input to the evolution of the WEU as a means for an integrating Europe to take on greater responsibility in security matters. Underpinning the effort of building the ESDI within NATO is the growing role and responsibility of the Europeans within it. I am pleased that Spain has already decided to participate fully in the Alliance's reformed military structure - this has already given Spain a strong voice in its development. France is moving closer as well. These separate but very important national decisions have unlocked the door to developing further the ESDI within the Alliance. To conclude, the contours of a new security order for this continent are becoming visible. NATO has done much to prepare the ground. And it is with NATO's help that the different building blocks of that architecture will be joined into a solid structure. The Madrid Summit will be a key opportunity to move ahead. It will be a very significant meeting for NATO's future - and for Europe's future peace.