Press
Release
(2003)059
3 June 2003 |
Final
Communiqué
Ministerial Meeting of the North
Atlantic Council
Held in Madrid on 3 June 2003
- Today, we are advancing the vision set out at our Prague Summit of
an Alliance transformed, better able to meet 21st century threats and
challenges to the security of our populations, territory and forces,
from wherever they may come. At Prague, Heads of State and Government
committed themselves to transform NATO with new members, new capabilities
and new relationships with our partners. The process of transformation
is now well underway. The North Atlantic Alliance, founded on the principles
of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law, remains the basis
of our collective defence and the essential transatlantic forum for
security.
- The accession of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia
and Slovenia to the Alliance will strengthen security for all in the
Euro-Atlantic area and reinforce our community of shared values. We
are pleased to be joined in Madrid today by our colleagues from these
countries.
- NATO is taking on new operations which meet the common security interests
of all Allies. We commend the participation of Allies in the International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul, Afghanistan, and the present
role of Germany and The Netherlands as lead nations in the mission.
From August, NATO will take the leading role by assuming the strategic
coordination, command and control of ISAF. ISAF will continue to operate
under United Nations mandate. NATO’s enhanced role will strengthen
ISAF’s effectiveness and sustainability, and, together with the
Provincial Reconstruction Teams being deployed by several Allies and
Partners, reinforce the international community’s commitment to
building a peaceful and democratic Afghanistan. The decision to use
NATO’s assets and capabilities to ensure ISAF’s continuity
also demonstrates our readiness to support or lead operations and deploy
forces, wherever the Alliance decides, to ensure our common security.
- The Alliance has just recently ended the deployment of surveillance
aircraft, missile defence systems and nuclear, biological and chemical
protection to defend Turkey against any possible attack by Iraq. NATO
also assisted Turkey in preparing for possible humanitarian emergencies.
We consulted regularly during the Iraq crisis, including in keeping
with the Alliance’s role under Article 4 of the Washington Treaty.
- NATO has agreed to Poland’s request for support to the role
it is taking on this summer in the stabilisation of Iraq. NATO’s
Military Authorities are working with Polish officials so that the Alliance
can assist in meeting their requirements. The North Atlantic Council
will review NATO’s contribution to the stabilisation efforts on
a regular basis.
We welcome the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution
1483. Allies stand ready and are examining ways to contribute to its
implementation.
- Since Prague, a major landmark has been passed in the establishment
of a genuine strategic partnership between NATO and the EU as agreed
between our two organisations. The decisions in March to conclude the
Berlin Plus arrangements represented the culmination of intensive work
since NATO's proposals at the Washington Summit. We underscore our commitment
to making a reality of our strategic partnership with the EU, starting
with our co-operation in the former Yugoslavia, where the concerted
efforts of the Alliance and the Union have transformed the prospects
for the region. We note with satisfaction the establishment of an EU
operation in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia1
with recourse to NATO assets and capabilities under the command of DSACEUR.
We underline our commitment to pursue co-operation in the Balkans in
a spirit of transparency in pursuit of our shared objectives.
- NATO and the EU share a common interest in assisting the countries
of the Balkans towards their further integration in Euro-Atlantic structures.
We expect that the 21 June EU-Balkans summit meeting in Thessaloniki
will make a significant contribution to our common efforts in this regard.
NATO will continue to play an essential role in regional security through
its ongoing operations, PfP programmes, and by working with the EU.
NATO and the EU are developing a framework for an enhanced dialogue
and a concerted approach on security and stability in the Western Balkans.
The development of the partnership between NATO and the EU in the Balkans
is increasingly important for the further stabilisation of that region,
and future planning should take this into account.
- Building on our successful cooperation in the Balkans to date, NATO
and the EU are exploring ways to further develop our cooperation on
questions of common interest relating to security, defence, and crisis
management, including in civil emergency planning, capability enhancement
and the fight against terrorism. We look forward to working with the
EU to further develop NATO-EU relations in the spirit of transparency
while respecting the autonomy of the two organisations.
- NATO’s continuing missions in the strategically important region
of the Balkans are evolving, as improvements in stability and security
continue. The NATO-led forces in the region are being, and will be,
further restructured and reduced in number, as progress allows. Reflecting
the significant challenges which remain, we confirm our continued presence
in the Balkans, and we stand ready to assist the countries of the region
to continue their progress, including in their security and defence
sector reform.
- We reaffirm our support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty
of all the countries in the Balkans. They must continue to build enduring
multi-ethnic democracies, root out organised crime and corruption and
firmly establish the rule of law. They must cooperate regionally, including
by implementing the Common Platform agreed at the 22-23 May Ohrid Regional
Conference on Border Security and Management. They must also comply
fully with international obligations, including by bringing to justice
in The Hague all those who are indicted by the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). We remain determined to help
build, in close cooperation with the UN, the EU, the OSCE and other
international organisations, a peaceful, stable and democratic South
East Europe, where all countries in the region assume ownership of the
process of reform, and are integrated into Euro-Atlantic structures.
- Terrorism continues to pose a grave threat to Alliance populations,
forces and territory, as well as to international peace and security.
It also poses a threat to the development and functioning of democratic
institutions, the territorial integrity of states, and to peaceful relations
between them. We express our sympathy for the victims of terrorism.
We categorically reject and condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,
and we reiterate our determination to combat this scourge for as long
as necessary. We are implementing a military concept for defence against
terrorism, improving civil preparedness, and working closely with our
Partner countries in this area. Alliance naval forces continue to patrol
the Mediterranean, inter alia to help deter terrorist attack against
commercial traffic in the Straits of Gibraltar. To fight terrorism effectively,
our response must be multi-faceted and comprehensive. It will require
full implementation of the Prague agenda for NATO’s transformation,
and continued close cooperation with other international organisations
and our Partners.
- We remain determined to deter, disrupt, defend and protect against
any armed attack on us, including terrorist attacks directed from abroad,
in accordance with the Washington Treaty and the Charter of the United
Nations. Effective, modern military capabilities, contributed by all
NATO countries, are essential to enable the Alliance to better carry
out the full range of its missions. Recent operations have vividly illustrated
the importance of the capability improvements identified as priorities
in the Prague Capabilities Commitment (PCC). Progress in developing
another Prague initiative, the NATO Response Force (NRF), is on track.
At their upcoming meeting, our Defence Colleagues will review the implementation
of the PCC and the NRF. They are also expected to agree new, streamlined
command arrangements for the Alliance, which will meet the operational
requirements for the full range of Alliance missions.
- We are encouraged by the improvements being made in other important
areas, including increased civil preparedness against possible WMD attacks
on civilian populations; stronger defence against cyber attacks; and
progress in examining options for protecting Alliance territory, forces
and population centres against the full range of missile threats in
an effective and efficient way through an appropriate mix of political
and defence efforts, along with deterrence. Our efforts in this regard
will be consistent with the indivisibility of Allied security.
- The Alliance’s policy of support for arms control, disarmament
and non-proliferation will continue to play a major role in the achievement
of the Alliance’s security objectives, including preventing the
spread and use of WMD and their means of delivery. The Alliance stresses
the importance of abiding by and strengthening existing international
arms control and disarmament accords and multilateral non-proliferation
and export control regimes. In particular, we underline our commitment
to reinforcing the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the pre-eminent non-proliferation
and disarmament mechanism, and ensuring the full compliance with it
by all states party to the Treaty. We will also strengthen our common
efforts to safeguard nuclear and radiological material. The role of
the WMD Centre, within NATO’s International Staff, is being enhanced
to assist the work of the Alliance to tackle threats posed by weapons
of mass destruction and their means of delivery.
- The seven democracies that were invited at Prague to start accession
talks with the Alliance are now well on their way to becoming members.
We welcome the March 2003 signature of the Accession Protocols, and
the progress in the ratification process. We congratulate the invited
countries for their contributions to international security, in solidarity
with the Alliance. We welcome the reform accomplishments by the seven
countries and their timetables for completion of reforms, and encourage
them to continue their reform efforts up to and beyond accession in
order to enhance their contribution to the Alliance. We look forward
to welcoming all seven countries into the Alliance at our Summit in
May 2004.
- This round of enlargement will not be the last. NATO’s door
remains open. We commend Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
and Croatia for their continuing reform efforts and their pursuit of
regional cooperation. These countries will need to continue to implement
the extensive political, economic, defence and other reforms identified
through the MAP process, in order to advance their candidacies. We want
them to succeed, and will continue to support and assist their reform
efforts. The Membership Action Plan will remain the vehicle to keep
aspirants’ progress under review, and we encourage each aspirant
to take ownership of the reform process and to pursue vigorously their
key reform objectives.
- NATO’s Partnership with countries across Europe, and in the
strategically important regions of the Caucasus and Central Asia, has
greatly contributed to security and stability throughout the Euro-Atlantic
area. Partner contributions in the Balkans and in Afghanistan are vivid
proof of this, and will remain important, especially as NATO takes on
a greater role in the ISAF mission. With NATO engaged in new operations,
strengthened interoperability with Partners will take on added importance.
We encourage Partners to work closely with the Alliance in implementing
the Partnership Action Plan against Terrorism.
- Realisation of the objectives of the Comprehensive Review of the Euro-Atlantic
Partnership Council/Partnership for Peace is key to further developing
our partnership, and we look forward to the report of the Review in
the autumn. We encourage Partners to make use of the opportunity to
develop Individual Partnership Actions Plans (IPAP) with NATO, and welcome
the decision by some Partners already to take advantage of this useful
new mechanism. The IPAP will ensure that our Partners’ reform
efforts are supported in the most efficient manner. We will ensure that
the 2004 Partnership Work Programme is robust and supports the efforts
of Partners seeking closer cooperation with the Alliance.
- We are encouraged by Serbia and Montenegro’s heightened efforts
to fight crime, arrest those indicted for war crimes, and combat political
extremism, as well as its renewed commitment to defence and military
reform. We also welcome the progress that has been made in strengthening
state-level defence structures in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We expect
Serbia and Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, to participate in
the PfP and the EAPC in future, once necessary progress is achieved,
including full cooperation with the ICTY.
- The NATO-Russia Council (NRC), in which NATO member states and Russia
are working together as equal partners in areas of common interest,
continues to make substantial progress, including at a first meeting
in Moscow last month. We have developed, inter alia, detailed assessments
of the terrorist threat in the Euro-Atlantic area, and made progress
in assessing proliferation dangers. We are exploring cooperation in
theatre missile defence, and laying the foundations for future peacekeeping
cooperation. We are engaged in a broad political dialogue with Russia,
which has already included exchanges on areas of common interest. We
have launched a far-reaching dialogue on shared challenges in the area
of defence reform. We are enhancing cooperation in airspace management
and safety, and in the area of civil emergency protection. For the coming
year, we have placed emphasis on enhanced military-to-military cooperation,
where we have agreed a framework for cooperation in search and rescue
at sea, and are looking to a substantial programme of exercises and
training. We also look forward to making progress on nuclear confidence-building
measures, and on the safe management of nuclear and radiological material.
- We remain committed to stronger NATO-Ukraine relations under the Charter
on a Distinctive Partnership and welcome progress to date in the implementation
of the NATO-Ukraine Action Plan and Ukraine’s Annual Target Plan,
which have given new substance and impetus to our relationship. Progress
by Ukraine in achieving its reform objectives as identified in the Action
Plan and the Annual Target Plan will determine the pace of its further
integration with NATO. We encourage Ukraine to pursue all reforms necessary
to achieve full Euro-Atlantic integration, including democratic reform,
strengthening arms export controls, judicial reform, promoting a free
and independent media, and implementing defence reforms. We will continue
to assist Ukraine in these efforts, particularly in the important area
of defence reform, and to consult on political, economic, military and
other issues.
- Security in the Euro-Atlantic region is closely linked to security
and stability in the Mediterranean. In that respect, we welcome and
value the positive response of our Mediterranean Dialogue Partners to
NATO’s decision to upgrade substantially the Dialogue’s
political and practical dimensions. We received today a progress report
which highlights the range of activities undertaken and progress achieved
in the framework of the Dialogue, including on terrorism-related issues.
Our efforts will continue to enhance the Mediterranean Dialogue, while
complementing and mutually reinforcing other Mediterranean initiatives,
including those of the European Union and the Organisation for Security
and Cooperation in Europe.
- We remain committed to the CFE Treaty and reaffirm our attachment
to the early entry into force of the Adapted Treaty. The CFE regime
provides a fundamental contribution to a more secure and integrated
Europe. We welcome the approach of those non-CFE countries, which have
stated their intention to request accession to the Adapted CFE Treaty
upon its entry into force. Their accession would provide an important
additional contribution to European stability and security. We acknowledge
Russia’s successful effort to reduce its forces in the Treaty’s
Article V area to agreed levels. We urge swift resolution of the outstanding
issues between Russia and Georgia as set out in their Istanbul Joint
Statement of 17 November 1999. We welcome the important progress Russia
has made in the withdrawal of its forces from Moldova since January
and look forward to the fulfilment of this commitment by the end of
2003. We will continue, via the OSCE, to assist in this process. Recognising
the progress made, we recall that fulfilment of the remaining Istanbul
commitments on Georgia and Moldova will create the conditions for Allies
and other States Parties to move forward on ratification of the Adapted
CFE Treaty.
- At Prague our Heads of State and Government endorsed a package of
measures to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the headquarters
organisation. As part of the follow-up we received today an Action Plan
for improving gender balance and diversity in NATO’s International
Staff. We attach high priority to this issue and look forward to receiving
a progress report on the implementation of the Action Plan at our meeting
in December 2003.
- We are committed to a broad approach to security and to intensify
our efforts to promote effective cooperation with other international
or regional organisations. NATO remains the essential forum for consultation
among the Allies. We shall be guided by a coherent approach to crises
affecting the security of the Euro-Atlantic area stemming from a wide
variety of military and non-military risks, making full use of partnership,
cooperation and dialogue.
- In the face of 21st century threats and challenges, effective transatlantic
security cooperation remains essential. Through its new operations,
new capabilities, new members and evolving political relationships,
today’s transformed Alliance is demonstrating that Europe and
North America are strong and enduring partners in pursuit of our common
values, shared security and collective defence.
- We express our deep appreciation to the Government of Spain for hosting
this meeting.
- Turkey recognises the Republic
of Macedonia with its constitutional name.
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