Welcoming remarks

Dear friends and colleagues,

It is an honor and joy to welcome you all to Sweden and Åre. We aretruly delighted to have been given the opportunity to host the EAPCSecurity Forum. We have interesting discussions ahead of us.

One hundred years ago – when the union between Sweden and Norway wasbreaking up – Åre was on the front line of a European war in making.Negotiations seemed to lead nowhere… Tensions grew…

Fortunately reason prevailed. Norway was given its full independence.The crisis was resolved to mutual satisfaction. …This was of coursebefore the Norwegian oil was discovered…

Seriously, let me start off the evening by charing some thoughts for our discussion tonight.

When Yugoslavia in the nineties faced calls for independence, historywas as graceful as in the case of Sweden and Norway. Instead it tookthe common efforts of Europe and North America to contribute to endingthe war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We are proud to have participated inIFOR and SFOR. And we are equally proud to do so under EU command inOperation Althea.

The Strategic Partnership between NATOand the EU in the field of crisis management is essential. We need todevelop this cooperation further if we are to deal with the securitypolicy challenges of today. The current limitations in the scope ofcooperation do not reflect our full potential.

Dearcolleagues, SFOR brought stability to Bosnia and Herzegovina andchanged the way we conceive international crisis management. Robustpeace enforcement operations - as part of a wider multifunctionalcivilian and military involvement - are now an important instrument inthe toolbox of the international community. But there is no room forcomplacency. We need more determined conflict prevention. Our responsesto crises must be much quicker. Our instruments for safeguarding andrestoring human security must be more effective. The internationalcommunity must be more coherent solving the underlying politicaldivides.

As a strong supporter of the United Nations, Ifully stand behind the Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s ongoing effortsto reform and strengthen the organization. And I share therecommendations outlined in his report to reach a broader internationalconsensus on collective security.

To achieve this aim,we need to further increase cooperation between the UN and otherorganizations – the EU, the OSCE, NATO and regional organizationsacross the globe. These organizations can and should play a key role insupport of the UN. Just as clearly as we, as members in differentregional organizations, need the United Nations, the UN needs thesupport of the regional organizations.

Colleagues,

A lesson of the nineties was that inactivity is not an option in theface of conflict. A lesson of our globalized 21st century might be thatdistance and location are no guarantee for protection. In Afghanistan,NATO and PfP countries work side-by-side, improving security for theAfghans and for ourselves: Createing order where there was none.Supporting freedom where guns used to rule. Confronting terrorism whereit had a safe haven.

The needs of Afghanistan are trulyenormous. Looking back, I think we can agree that the resources forcrisis management in Afghanistan were needed earlier and in greaterquantity. Shortage of resources is however neither new, nor unique forAfghanistan. The launching of IFOR and KFOR were perhaps an exceptionrather than a rule. But we must stay committed and improve our abilityto deliver the troops needed. It is a political challenge indeed. Butwithout those resources there will be no security. And without securitythere will be no development. Of course our commitment should not endwith troops – but be focused also on economic recovery and sustainabledevelopment.

Sweden is committed to contributingactively to conflict prevention and crisis management. Our own currentparticipation, on-the-spot, in Afghanistan is proof of thisdetermination. Furthermore, Sweden is currently exploring thepossibilities of eventually taking on a lead role for the PRT inMazar-e-Sharif.

Together with NATO Members, the partnersin this Partnership contribute substantially to peace and stability.We, the partners, could probably do more. And NATO could also involveus more in questions that concern the operations that we participatein. The progress in this field since Istanbul has been promising. Butmore can be done.

Dear colleagues,

Today, we are faced with new and unresolved conflicts. We areconfronted with the prospect that a small group of people – terroristsor warlords – may cause damage, death and suffering on a scale that washistorically only possible for states or armies. Preventing suchhorrifying scenarios is one of the key challenges of our time. Ibelieve that there is no room for complacency if we are to prevent andto tackle the threats of today. In finishing, let me therefore leaveyou with a few questions:

The International Community almost only reacts strongly when a crisis becomes acute – How could we change that, and act early?

In a world where conflicts are complex, and perhaps political more thanmilitary – How do the organizations involved cooperate in findingpolitical solutions? And how do we organize ourselves so that ourefforts are more supportive of the work of the UN?

Thestrategic partnership between EU and NATO in crisis management isimportant, but the practical cooperation can still be improved. Whydon’t we have a “concerted approach” more often?

Mr. Secretary General; dear friends,

Let me leave you with these questions. Hoping that they might add tosincere and interesting discussions among us tonight. Please let meonce again welcome you to Åre and to this dinner. Thank you!