Following the Meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Ministerial Session Sintra 29 May 1997

Statement to the Press by the Secretary General (14 Kb) Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen, We have just finished a very intensive and productive meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers. We have reviewed all of the most important topics on NATO's current political agenda. The way is now clear for us to take key decisions to build a new NATO for the 21st Century when our Heads of State and Government meet in Madrid on the 8th and 9th of July. Today two topics dominated our discussions: The Alliance's external and internal adaptation; The situation in Bosnia. On the first topic - the Alliance's external and internal adaptation - we welcomed first of all the beginning of a new era in NATO/Russia relations following the signing of the NATO/Russia Founding Act in Paris last Tuesday. NATO and Russia can now become true partners in working together for a new Europe of peace and prosperity for all. We will seek to implement the Founding Act expeditiously. We also discussed NATO/Ukraine Relations. In opening the NATO Information Office in Kiev earlier this month - the first of its kind - we gave Ukraine a strong political signal of our serious interest in a strong and distinctive relationship with that country. I had the pleasure of initialling with Minister Udovenko earlier today the Charter on a Distinctive Partnership between NATO and Ukraine which we have worked on together in recent weeks. This Charter will be formally signed in Madrid with President Kuchma. (18 Kb) Today's meeting has also been of special value because Ministers had a substantive discussion on Enlargement. I briefed Ministers on the results of the work that we have carried out as part of our preparations for Enlargement. Following today's discussion, we will seek over the next few weeks to build consensus within the Alliance on the specific country or countries to be invited to join NATO. The decision will be taken by Heads of State and Government at the Madrid Summit. As stated clearly in our communiqué, the door to NATO will remain open for further accessions in the future. Les Ministres se sont également déclarés, ce matin, satisfaits du travail accompli par l'Alliance au cours des six derniers mois sur deux nouvelles initiatives destinées à renforcer notre coopération avec nos Partenaires: le Conseil de partenariat euro-atlantique et le Partenariat pour la paix renforcé. Nous lancerons ces initiatives avec nos Partenaires à la réunion que nous tiendrons demain. Ainsi, le Conseil de coopération nord-atlantique se réunira demain matin pour la dernière fois. Au cours des six dernières années, le CCNA a joué un rôle clé dans le processus qui nous a rapproché de vingt-sept pays partenaires dans un esprit de coopération et de dialogue ouvert. Il est maintenant temps d'aller plus loin. Le Conseil de partenariat euro-atlantique deviendra le nouveau forum au sein duquel nous nous consulterons avec nos Partenaires de manière plus intense, et nous gérerons également, avec eux, le nouveau Partenariat pour la paix renforcé. (14 Kb) J'ajouterai que nous avons aussi examiné la façon de poursuivre notre dialogue sur la Méditerranée. Les Ministres des affaires étrangères ont entériné un certain nombre d'activités de coopération concrètes à conduire avec les six pays méditerranéens engagés dans ce dialogue afin de mener plus avant notre coopération. Il s'agit essentiellement d'augmenter le nombre de stages et de programmes de formation ouverts aux participants de ces pays. Nous avons aussi l'intention de lancer à Madrid un nouveau comité qui, au sein de l'Alliance, aura pour tâche de faire progresser ce dialogue et en particulier de prévoir des consultations à "16 + 1" entre l'OTAN et chacun des six pays méditerranéens. Sur le plan de l'adaptation interne, nous travaillons actuellement dans trois directions : la réforme de la structure de commandement, la mise en oeuvre des GFIM et la construction de l'IESD au sein de l'OTAN. Les travaux sont complexes mais se déroulent de manière satisfaisante. La décision récente de l'UEO sur la participation de tous les Alliés européens à des opérations dirigées par l'UEO et faisant appel à des moyens et capacités de l'OTAN, apporte une contribution substantielle au développement de l'IESD. In the afternoon session we discussed the situation in Bosnia. Carl Bildt gave us his assessment of civil implementation. The Chairman in office of the OSCE, Minister Helveg Petersen reported on preparations for the Municipal Elections in September and the Chairman of the Military Committee updated us on SFOR operations. The Ministerial meeting of the PIC Steering Board tomorrow afternoon comes at an important time to demonstrate our common resolve to move the peace process forward. In a few weeks' time, the North Atlantic Council, in consultation with non-NATO contributors, will be conducting its first six month review of SFOR operations. Today our focus was on how we can make the best use of the 13 months remaining of SFOR's presence to re-invigorate the peace process and move reconstruction and reconciliation forward. The Parties must understand that the patience and resources of the international community are not limitless. They must assume their responsibilities to build the basis for an enduring peace. In conclusion, today's meeting has paved the way for the NATO Summit in Madrid. The new more far-reaching Alliance of the 21st Century is taking on a more distinct shape. It will be a changing NATO but a NATO that will be as strong, as cohesive and as capable of carrying out all its missions as the NATO of today.