Press Communiqué North Atlantic Council Copenhagen 5th-7th May 1958

Final Communiqué Chairman: Mr. P.H. Spaak. Synopsis Alliance's activities in the context of the international situation Attention drawn to need for economic cooperation - Discussion of a possible Summit Conference - Hope expressed for expert talks on East West disarmament.

The North Atlantic Council held its Spring Ministerial Meeting in Copenhagen from 5th to 7th May, 1958. The Foreign Ministers of the fifteen NATO countries have deepened and strengthened their mutual understanding and their unity of purpose. NATO, a defensive organization, is now much more than merely a military Alliance. It is becoming a true community of free nations. Within this community, to a degree unprecedented in history, countries are carrying out a policy of close co-operation in peacetime without abandoning their independence. This development is one of the most significant and promising events of our time. The Council reviewed the activities of the Alliance and examined the international situation. For the first subject of discussion, the Council had before it the report submitted by the Secretary General. The Council was in agreement with this analysis of the work of the Alliance in the past year. They agreed in particular that the outstanding achievement had been the remarkable progress made in the strengthening of political consultation. This has been successfully applied to an increasing number of problems and has led to co-ordination of policy on major questions of common interest. The Council also expressed its satisfaction with the results of the recent Conference of Defence Ministers and with the good start made in the field of scientific co-operation. Ministers recognized that political unity and the efficient organization of defence were not enough. Economic co-operation is also essential between the members of the Alliance. Every effort should be made to ensure economic prosperity, notably by the expansion of international trade and by aid to underdeveloped countries. Consultations on methods and machinery for such co-operation will take place within the Alliance. Ministers attach special importance to the successful conclusion of the economic negotiations now being undertaken and to the establishment of close ties between the European countries and the whole free world. During their consideration of the international situation the Ministers had a discussion on the question of a possible Summit Conference. The Council believe that summit meetings are desirable if they offer prospects of reaching settlements on important questions. The Council considers that conferences at the Summit are not the only way, or necessarily the best way, of conducting negotiations or reducing international tensions. In any event, such conferences must be properly prepared and take place in a favorable atmosphere. Ministers regretted that during the last few weeks the Soviet Union has made the preparations for a possible summit conference more difficult by posing unreasonable conditions. The Soviet Union has recently aggravated international tension by its veto in the Security Council of the United States proposals to reduce the risks of surprise attack over the Arctic. Despite the disappointment and doubts to which the Soviet attitude gives rise, the NATO governments will not be discouraged nor give up their attachment to the principle of negotiation. Should a Summit Conference take place at this time it should consider certain important problems, among others the German problem, which were identified by the heads of governments meeting at Geneva in 1955 and on which unfortunately little or no progress towards a solution has been made. Controlled disarmament, desired so ardently by all peoples, should be one of the main questions on the agenda. The proposals made by the Western Powers on 29th August, 1957 and approved by a large majority in the United Nations could afford a reasonable basis for this discussion. The Council expressed the hope that it might yet prove possible, in spite of repeated Soviet refusal, to inaugurate expert technical discussions, between representatives of the Soviet Union and of the Western Powers principally concerned, on detailed measures on control over disarmament. Agreement on measures necessary, for example, to prevent surprise attack or to detect nuclear explosions might go far towards demonstrating the possibility of agreement on disarmament, improving its prospects and accelerating its application when reached. In order to prepare the way for such agreement the Council will consider the possibility of carrying out studies and experiments on the technical problems of inspection and control. In conclusion, the Ministers confirmed the full agreement of their governments on the basic principles of the Alliance, its goals and the methods of obtaining them.