OPENING STATEMENT BY THE SECRETARY GENERAL
             TO THE NAC MINISTERIAL IN ATHENS
                   Thursday, 10 June 1993

Events in Europe make this a timely meeting for our Alliance.
We are meeting at a crucial moment in Europe's history where
many question the capability of the international community and
its organisations, to deal successfully with the challenges of the
post-Cold War world. There is a widening gap between our vision of 
a new order of peace and security and the growing number of crises 
and conflicts. In this environment our Alliance is, and remains,
essential for security in Europe. Its importance as a cornerstone
of stability has even grown in the face of instability and insecurity
around us.

Foremost on our minds remains the bloody conflict in the former 
Yugoslavia. Today we will examine how NATO can further contribute 
beyond what it is doing already to support the efforts of the 
United Nations to arrive at a peaceful settlement and stop the 
fighting and suffering in Bosnia-Herzegovina. We should convey a 
clear and coherent position of our Alliance towards this conflict
and our readiness to continue to play our part in support of the
current and future resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.

The United Nations has the lead and the responsibility for action in
the former Yugoslavia. NATO has offered its support the United Nations,
both politically and by contributing its capabilities to UN
peacekeeping
missions. Thus far the Alliance has done everything the UN has asked
of it and it has done so effectively. We recognise the special
responsibility our Alliance has for security in Europe. Therefore 
we have to be ready to contribute even more towards a solution.
Our support will be of particular importance to prevent a spillover
of the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina to neighbouring territories.

NATO's political and strategic importance transcends the crisis in
the former Yugoslavia. The Alliance makes a wider contribution to
security in Europe though the fulfilment of both its traditional
and its new tasks.