Press Communiqu
M-NACC-
1(96)64
Ministerial
Meeting of
the North
Atlantic
Cooperation
Council
Berlin
4 June 1996
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Chairman's Summary
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- The Foreign Ministers and Representatives of the member countries of
the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC) met in Berlin today. The Foreign
Ministers and Representatives of countries which have joined the Partnership for
Peace (PfP) without being NACC members as well as the Secretary General of the
WEU and the Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE also attended the meeting.
- German Federal Chancellor Kohl addressed the NACC at its opening session, and Secretary General Solana informed the meeting about the results
of the North Atlantic Council meeting on 3 June.
- On the basis of several reports, Ministers reviewed the development of
NACC/PfP cooperation activities. They welcomed recent measures to enhance the
effectiveness of the NACC through a more focussed and result-oriented approach to
issues central to NACC cooperation, as well as initiatives designed to reinforce the
contribution of NACC activities to the promotion of good-neighbourly relations. They
emphasised that NACC continues to provide an invaluable forum for political
consultations on key security-related issues of interest to the members. The
participation in todays meeting and other NACC consultations of the Chairman-in-
Office of the OSCE was a valuable contribution to the consultation process.
- Ministers underlined the success of the PfP programme in substantially
expanding and deepening cooperation among the participating states thereby creating
an enduring framework for relations between Partner nations and Allies. They noted
the work underway to further enhance PfP. They welcomed the completion of the
first assessment process of Individual Partnership Programmes under the Partnership
for Peace. This process provides an effective means to help NATO and Partner
nations better focus cooperation efforts. Ministers also
noted a progress report on the PfP Planning and Review Process (PARP), which now
embraces 15 Partners, and providing information on the extent to which
Interoperability Objectives had been implemented by Partners as well as on the
intention to broaden and deepen the process in the next cycle which will begin later
this year.
- Now that NACC/PfP cooperation has become a permanent feature of
the European security scene, Ministers appraised its further potential and in particular
the opportunities that its habits of cooperation and consultation provide to enhance
regional security, stability and cooperation. In particular, Ministers drew attention to
the role of the NACC/PfP process in paving the way for the NATO-led peace
implementation force in Bosnia through fostering close cooperation. They noted that the participation of twelve Partner countries in Operation "Joint Endeavour" provided clear evidence of our deepening cooperation.
- Ministers agreed to hold their next meeting of the NACC the day
after the Autumn Ministerial meeting of the North Atlantic Council in December in
Brussels. This meeting will mark the Fifth Anniversary of the founding of the NACC.
- Ministers extended their deep appreciation for the gracious hospitality
extended to them by the German government.
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