WEU Ministerial meeting Erfurt, 18 Nov. 1997

Speech by the NATO Secretary General, Dr. Javier Solana

Monsieur le Prsident, Excellences, Mesdames, Messieurs, C'est pour moi un vif plaisir que d'assister aujourd'hui cette runion ministrielle de l'UEO. Le fait qu'elle se droule Erfurt n'y est pas tranger: en effet, le choix d'Erfurt nous montre une fois de plus qu'une nouvelle Europe s'affirme, la fois politiquement, conomiquement et moralement. Permettez-moi cet gard de remercier la prsidence allemande pour sa remarquable contribution. La runion d'aujourd'hui a lieu aprs deux Sommets importants de l'Alliance et de l'Union Europenne. Les dcisions prises Madrid et Amsterdam nous ont fait franchir un grand pas supplmentaire vers une architecture de scurit effective, une architecture dans laquelle l'OTAN, l'UE et l'UEO ont chacune leur rle jouer. Ces trois institutions doivent aujourd'hui faire face au double dfi de leur largissement et de leur adaptation interne aux exigences d'un environnement nouveau. Les deux sommets ont cet gard mis en lumire le rle complmentaire de l'OTAN, de l'UE et de l'UEO pour garantir scurit et stabilit dans la nouvelle Europe. En ce qui concerne l'OTAN, l'application des multiples dcisions du sommet de Madrid progresse un bon rythme: des pourparlers d'adhsion avec les trois pays invits au renforcement du Partenariat pour la paix, du nouveau Conseil de partenariat euro-atlantique aux programmes de Partenariat entre l'OTAN et la Russie, et l'OTAN et l'Ukraine, du Groupe de coopration mditerranenne la rforme de notre structure de commandement, notre vision devient progressivement ralit. A ce vaste programme, s'ajoute notre engagement pour assurer la mise en oeuvre des Accords de Dayton grce l'action de la force de stabilisation de l'OTAN en Bosnie. Bien entendu, l'application des diffrentes dcisions du Sommet a galement une incidence sur le dveloppement des relations entre l'OTAN et l'UEO. En effet, pour que la nouvelle Europe puisse non seulement s'largir mais aussi s'enrichir, la cration d'une Identit europenne de scurit et de dfense est indispensable. Une coopration troite entre l'OTAN et l'UEO demeure la cl de vote de la ralisation de cet objectif commun et ambitieux. Mr Chairman, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe we can confidently state that major progress has been made in solidifying this relationship. By the time of Madrid and Amsterdam, a significant part of our work on ESDI-related issues had already been accomplished, including decisions on European command arrangements to enable the preparation, support, command and conduct of WEU-led operations using NATO assets and capabilities; or arrangements to identify NATO assets and capabilities that could support WEU-led operations, to name only these two. Since then, we have been concentrating on the remaining elements of our work. Arrangements for consultations and information-sharing between NATO and the WEU are currently being defined and discussed; modalities for the release, monitoring and return or recall of Alliance assets and capabilities for a WEU-led operation are being elaborated; work on military planning and preparations for exercises for possible WEU-led operations continues; and the involvement of the WEU in Alliance defence planning for the conduct of WEU-led operations has also started well. In all these areas, further progress has been made. All in all, we are now nearing completion of our ESDI-related work on the conceptual level. Our next steps will then be to define practical arrangements to implement the concept and to test the ESDI mechanisms through NATO-WEU exercises. Since last year's NATO Ministerial in Berlin, we have witnessed increasingly close cooperation and coordination between NATO and WEU. Our consultations in the Joint Council have deepened in substance. We have only very recently held joint meetings on the committee level to discuss important elements of our work in the area of crisis management and defence planning. Our military authorities are working very closely together. And as we speak, the Alliance is conducting its first CJTF headquarters trial called "Allied Effort" to which we have invited the WEU Planning Cell as an observer. All this clearly shows that the NATO-WEU relationship is on track, and that a European Security and Defence Identity is moving from principle to reality.