The Foreign Ministers and Representatives of the member countries of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC) met in Noordwijk today. The Foreign Ministers and Representatives of countries which have joined the Partnership for Peace (PfP) without being NACC members and the Secretary General of the Western European Union also attended the meeting.
The Secretary General of NATO informed the NACC about the results of the North Atlantic Council on 30 May, and on the meeting of the North Atlantic Council with Russian Foreign Minister Kozyrev on 31 May to accept the Russian Individual Partnership Programme under PfP and the document on "Areas for Pursuance of a Broad, Enhanced NATO-Russia Dialogue and Cooperation ". The Ministers welcomed these steps towards strengthening NATO-Russia relations.
After receiving status reports, the Ministers reviewed and welcomed the successful development of cooperative activities under the NACC Work Plan and the Partnership for Peace programme. They noted in particular the substantial activities already carried out under PfP in its first year and the broad range of the PfP cooperation programme. They discussed ways in which cooperation might be further strengthened and enhanced and agreed to publish the latest report from the Ad Hoc Group on Cooperation in Peacekeeping. In the spirit of transparency, Ministers were informed about the results of the first cycle of the PfP Planning and Review Process, in which 14 individual partners took part and which is directed at enhancing the ability of partner forces to operate with NATO forces in PfP cooperation in the fields of peacekeeping, search and rescue and humanitarian missions. The Ministers took note of an invitation for their countries to accede to a Status of Forces Agreement covering activities by military forces under PfP which will be open for signature soon.
The Ministers had a wide-ranging and open exchange of views on the future of European security. They examined the principal security risks, problems and challenges in the Euro-Atlantic/OSCE area and the most effective approaches to dealing with these, including the discussions within the OSCE on a common and comprehensive security model for the 21st century. They considered how cooperative approaches to security could be further developed and reinforced with a view to contributing to the evolution of a broad, inclusive and effective European security architecture.
The Ministers also held an exchange of views on the crisis in the former Yugoslavia and other regional conflicts and security issues. The Ministers in their remarks condemned the escalation of violence in the former Yugoslavia and the hostile acts against UN personnel by the Bosnian Serbs. They agreed that there could only be a political solution to the crisis, and called for a de-escalation of the military confrontation in order to seek a settlement through negotiation.
The Ministers agreed to hold their next regular NACC meeting in conjunction with the Spring Ministerial meeting of the North Atlantic Council next year in Berlin. They also decided, in the light of the international agenda, to hold another meeting of the NACC on 6 December, in conjunction with the Ministerial meeting of the North Atlantic Council this Autumn in Brussels.
