Brussels, 13 June 1997

Statement to the Press by Secretary General following the meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in Defence Minister Session

(22 Kb) Our meeting today is the sixth time that NATO and Partner Defence Ministers have met since 1992. But it is the first time that we have come together in NATO's new Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. We focussed on two main topics: First, the future of our cooperation activities; Second, the situation in Bosnia and the role of SFOR. On the first topic - our cooperation activities - our 26 Partners present welcomed the two new initiatives that NATO and Partner Foreign Ministers endorsed just a few days ago in Sintra: namely the creation of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and the enhanced Partnership for Peace. Le Conseil de partenariat euro-atlantique sera le point central pour des consultations politiques plus frquentes et plus intensives ainsi que pour la mise en oeuvre d'initiatives pratiques qui, dans le cadre du PPP renforc, feront progresser notre coopration dans le domaine de la dfense et la collaboration entre militaires. J'ai invit instamment tous nos Partenaires profiter pleinement de cette nouvelle possibilit et adapter la coopration que nous proposons leurs besoins et leurs priorits propres. Le PPP renforc offrira galement nos Partenaires de nombreuses occasions nouvelles de se rapprocher encore de l'OTAN : En premier lieu, les missions militaires du PPP ont t tendues pour couvrir la gamme complte des nouvelles missions de l'OTAN, en particulier les oprations de soutien de la paix. Ceci aura des incidences majeures dans l'ensemble du Partenariat, par exemple une coopration plus riche et plus solide dans des domaines militaires et de dfense, les armements, les exercices de gestion des crises et les plans civils d'urgence. (18 Kb) En second lieu, nous mettrons en place des lments d'tat-major des pays partenaires divers niveaux de la structure militaire de l'Alliance. Des officiers des pays partenaires serviront dans des postes internationaux. Les Partenaires feront ainsi un "investissement collectif" dans le Partenariat analogue celui que les Allis font dans l'Alliance. De mme, ils auront bientt la possibilit d'tablir des missions diplomatiques auprs de l'OTAN. Thirdly, the new PfP will have a Planning and Review Process (PARP) more like NATO's force planning process and more responsive to future NATO-led operations with Partners. 18 Partners are now involved in this process which has just begun its second cycle. The emphasis will be on more robust inter-operability objectives which will better define the types and quality of force contributions that Partners might make to NATO-led PfP operations. Fourthly, we are providing Partners a greater role in decision making, in the normal Partnership work and during NATO peacekeeping operations. The latter is particularly significant: we foresee greater opportunities for Partners to contribute to political guidance for and oversight over NATO-led operations they join. (22 Kb) And finally, the Alliance has taken the significant decision to invest in the Partnership of the future. The NATO Security Investment Programme - which has supported the infrastructure of the Alliance for many years - will now support Partnership projects as well. So it is clear that the Enhanced PfP will prepare us to act together in future crises should the need arise. It will build on the experience and lessons we have learned through cooperation in IFOR and SFOR. Also in our meeting today, we focussed on regional security cooperation. Ministers welcomed the recent signing in Paris of the NATO/Russia Founding Act which opens the way to a new relationship between NATO and Russia. I should add in this connection that I had a productive meeting earlier this morning with the Russian Deputy Defence Minister Kokoshin. We discussed the way ahead in developing our cooperation in the defence field. I was encouraged to hear of Russia's willingness to exploit the full potential of the NATO/Russia Founding Act. Ministers also welcomed the initialling of a Charter between NATO and Ukraine. They looked ahead to the Alliance's forthcoming enlargement. NATO will reach a consensus soon on those countries we will invite in Madrid. But what NATO Ministers stressed today is that the door to the Alliance will remain open. Madrid will not be about winners and losers. All those who wish to join NATO will have many opportunities to engage actively with us to prepare for the moment when they are ready to join. Nous avons consacr un certain temps la Bosnie qui reste un sujet de proccupations, particulier, ne serait-ce que parce que tous les pays allis et quinze pays partenaires participent la mission de la SFOR. Nous avons chang des vues sur la manire dont notre coopration au sein de la SFOR peut contribuer la stabilisation en Bosnie-Herzgovine. Les Ministres ont fait part de leurs proccupations devant les manquements constats dans l'application de certains aspects des accords de paix, et ont appel toutes les parties mettre en oeuvre les dispositions des accords de paix dans leur intgralit et sans plus attendre. En dfinitive, nous venons de terminer une journe de travail fructueuse qui donne notre coopration une qualit d'un autre niveau. La nouvelle OTAN qui sera lance notre Sommet de Madrid dans un peu moins d'un mois aura quelque chose proposer l'ensemble de nos Partenaires. Tous les pays gagneront en scurit cooprer avec notre Alliance.