Secretary General's Opening Statement to NAC             
 Ministerial,
                      Brussels, 1st December, 1994


          We convene today to carry the evolution of our
Alliance another major step forward.  Among the key
issues we will discuss are NATO's role in supporting the
United Nations in the former Yugoslavia, and the further
development of a European Security Architecture,
including the strengthening of the Partnership for Peace
and the enlargement of our Alliance.
 
          Let me start with the burning issue of the war
in the former Yugoslavia.  One cannot be but appalled by
the recent developments.  This conflict in the heart of
Europe  poses a paramount challenge not only for our
Alliance but also for the entire international community. 
NATO will continue to contribute its best efforts to
bring peace to this war-torn region.  Indeed, our purpose
remains to underpin the efforts of the United Nations and
the Contact Group to achieve a negotiated settlement.  

          We are continuing the enforcement of the naval
embargo, which has been highly effective.  NATO
operations under the recent United Nations Security
Council Resolution now reach into the Protected Areas in
Croatia.  And we have demonstrated through our recent air
strikes that NATO can indeed act robustly and decisively
when it is asked to do so. 
But I must stress that the Alliance is not in the
driver's seat in this crisis.  Several years ago, the
international community decided to give the United
Nations the lead, and to NATO a supportive role.  We are
prepared to do more if that would help advance the cause
of peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina, but under the current
mandate and procedures we can only act when asked to do
so by the United Nations.  We must also make sure that
the right conditions are created in order that our
actions are carried out in an efficient way and that the
security of our pilots is adquately taken care of. 
Ultimately, as I have said, this crisis is a challenge
for the whole international community, and it is only
through a coordinated approach that we will be able to
achieve a lasting peace.

          As for NATO itself, solidarity is the key;  in
fact, it is the cornerstone of this Alliance and the
reason for our succcess during the Cold War.  We tend to
take this solidarity for granted during normal times.  It
is only in difficult times such as these that it is truly
tested and it truly matters.  We are now being put to
this test, and I have every confidence  that our
solidarity will see us through now as it has in even
darker circumstances before.

          At their Summit meeting last January, Heads of
State and Government of the North Atlantic Alliance took
a number of important decisions which laid out the road
map of our Alliance for years to come.  In the eleven
months since, we have worked hard to implement these
decisions.  Today we will review where we stand and how
we can give further impetus to move ahead.

          Partnership for Peace continues to be at the
top of our priorities.  It is one of the most ambitious
endeavours of the Alliance.  To further open the
Alliance's structures and to make the necessary
preparations here at NATO Headquarters and in Mons for
the implementation of the various programmes has been an
enormous challenge that the Alliance is successfully
meeting.  Twenty-three countries have joined,
and others may join soon.  Nine Individual Partnership
Programmes have been agreed, another one will follow this
afternoon.  Three joint military Partnership exercises
have already been held.  The Partnership Coordination
Cell is functioning, with liaison officers represented
from many Partner countries.  Here at NATO Headquarters,
Partners fill our new "Manfred Worner Wing".

          But this is only the beginning.  It is
essential that we maintain the momentum.  This means
above all that the Partnership must have the additional
financial resources it needs in order to fulfil its full
potential to be the centrepiece of cooperation in today's
security community.  Partners are making an effort to
come up with the necessary funds to make this Partnership
successful.  We must also come forward with the necessary
funds to meet their expectations and to maintain
the efficiency of our Alliance.  Moreover, as stated by
our Heads of State and Government in January, active
participation in the Partnership will also play an
important role in the evolutionary process of the
expansion of NATO.

          The Partnership for Peace, as all other
initiatives of the Alliance, is aimed at building
stability in Europe and contributing to an evolving
cooperative security structure. When we move on to
enlarge the Alliance, it will be within this
context.  We have a moral duty not to squander this
historic opportunity to anchor the new democracies of
Central and Eastern Europe permanently in the West.  At
the January Summit we declared that we expected and would
welcome NATO's enlargement.  It is within this spirit
that the Alliance should start an internal discussion of
the "how and why" of enlargement.  This will be another
proof of NATO's strong commitment to move forward on this
fundamental question. 
We will engage in this discussion with vigour and I am
confident that by this time next year we will have
achieved concrete results.

          Il est essentiel que nous associons
concretement la Russie a l'edification d'un nouvel ordre
de securite en Europe.
L'adhesion de ce pays au Partenariat pour la paix a
ouvert la voie a des relations solides, comme l'a fait
l'instauration d'un meilleur dialogue entre l'OTAN et la
Russie a la suite des decisions prises par l'Alliance a
la reunion ministerielle d'Istanbul. Depuis, des progres
serieux ont ete realises dans l'elaboration du cadre pour
l'elargissement du dialogue, de la cooperation et du
partenariat avec la Russie dans des domaines ou ce pays a
des competences ou un poids particuliers. Nous avons
l'intention de renforcer encore davantage cette relation,
qui restera ouverte et transparente dans l'interet de
l'Europe tout entiere.  Nous nous felicitons donc tres
vivement de l'adoption plus tard dans la journee du
programme de partenariat individuel de la Russie.

          Une autre grande decision prise par le Sommet
fut l'approbation d'une approche commune de l'Alliance
afin d'empecher la proliferation des armes de destruction
massive.
La dissemination de telles armes pourrait etre l'un des
defis majeurs des prochaines annees en matiere de
securite. Nous progressons, et aujourd'hui nous pouvons
mesurer les avancees que nous avons realisees en ce qui
concerne aussi bien les aspects politiques du probleme
que ses incidences dans le domaine de la defense.

          L'Alliance consacre une attention de plus en
plus grande a la region mediterraneenne. Nous examinerons
donc des propositions elaborees par le Conseil en session
permanente en vue de contribuer au renforcement de la
stabilite dans la region et a une meilleure comprehension
mutuelle entre l'Alliance et ses voisins du Sud. Parmi
ces propositions, figure l'instauration d'un dialogue
direct avec les pays mediterraneens comme premiere etape
au developpement de relations plus etroites dans cette
region d'un interet croissant pour l'Alliance.

          Since the end of the Cold War, NATO has become
increasingly a catalyst for political change.  At today's
session of the North Atlantic Council, as well as at
tomorrow's meeting of the North Atlantic Cooperation
Council, we aim to take further steps towards our goal of
a just and lasting order of peace and security for the
entire Euro-Atlantic area.  I am confident that we will
succeed in our endeavours.  I now give the floor to our
President d'Honneur, Secretary of State Christopher.