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Let me extend also a special greeting to the Secretary General of the WEU, Ambassador José Pires Cutileiro. His presence is a sign of the close cooperation which is growing between our two organisations.
Today we convene a NATO Summit for July of next year which will shape the new NATO - a NATO with new structures, new missions, and, ultimately, with new members.
The result is a dynamic Alliance which is reaching out and bringing peace and hope in Bosnia. It is an alliance which, through the highly successful Partnership for Peace, has created solid security ties throughout Europe and beyond. It is an Alliance preparing to accept new members. And it is an Alliance building a strong partnership with Russia and Ukraine. Next years Summit will mark the moment when the processes of transformation and change converge and the new Alliance takes stock. The first new members will be identified and invited to start negotiations on joining. There will be decisions, too, on an enhanced Partnership for Peace and a new command structure. And the Alliance will be ready to define a new relationship with Russia which reflects the dramatic changes which occurred in the European security environment, in Russia and within the Alliance itself. Our most important job today is to prepare the ground for those decisions thoroughly and well.
We have been working shoulder to shoulder with Russia in bringing peace to Bosnia. NATO is committed to build upon this successful cooperation: through a permanent military liaison, through an intensification of our regular political consultations, through full Russian participation in PfP. We must continue to strengthen our ties with Ukraine as it develops as a democratic nation. Its independence and its ability to play a positive role in European security are crucial for the kind of Europe we envisage. It is therefore in our interest to see this countrys reform process succeed. Our meeting will also consider the way forward on our Mediterranean Dialogue. This Dialogue has progressed well. It is an indication that our Alliance, after having overcome the division of Europe, is also striving actively to promote security and cooperation with our Southern neighbours. With Partnership for Peace, we have created a vibrant system of security cooperation. We will have the chance to talk about further progress with our Partners tomorrow in the North Atlantic Cooperation Council. PfP and NACC are a great success and have great potential for the future. We will look at ways in which Partners can be integrated further in our day-to-day work. They are ready to take their part in determining future priorities and the direction of our cooperation.
Nous avons bien progressé. Le mois dernier, les chefs d'état-major de la défense ont défini des options en vue d'une nouvelle structure de commandement. La France et l'Espagne ont manifesté leur souhait de faire partie d'une structure militaire rénovée, perspective dont nous attendons tous ardemment la concrétisation et qui témoigne de tout le chemin parcouru par l'OTAN au cours de la dernière décennie. En Bosnie-Herzégovine, l'OTAN a apporté la preuve de sa capacité de remplir de nouvelles missions. Elle est actuellement la seule organisation capable d'entreprendre une opération aussi vaste et complexe que celle de l'IFOR. La nouvelle structure militaire tiendra pleinement compte des enseignements tirés par l'IFOR, en particulier la nécessité de pouvoir opérer efficacement avec nos Partenaires dans toutes les éventualités qui se présentent en matière de maintien de la paix. Grâce au dévouement éternel de tous les pays de lOTAN, SACEUR est maintenant en train dorganiser des troupes nécessaires pour la SFOR. Nous pouvons être heureux que tous les pays non-membres de lOTAN ayant des troupes dans lIFOR - ainsi que deux autres partenaires PfP - ont également offert une participation dans les troupes pour la SFOR.
La nouvelle OTAN prend forme dans un environnement de sécurité européen qui a profondément changé. La réunion ministérielle d'aujourd'hui le confirmera : l'OTAN a su, là encore, devancer le changement. C'est pourquoi, après quarante-sept années d'existence, l'OTAN garde un rôle de premier plan pour ce qui tient à coeur à chacun des citoyens de nos pays : la sécurité, la stabilité et la confiance dans la région euro-atlantique.
Suivant les traditions du Conseil de l'Atlantique Nord, j'invite maintenant le Président d'honneur, M. Lloyd Axworthy, à s'adresser à l'assemblée. M. Axworthy, vous avez la parole. [The Président d'Honneur makes his address] Thank you, Minister, for your opening remarks.
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