Speech
by NATO Secretary General, Javier Solana
"The Road to Membership"
Ministers,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am deeply honoured to address the distinguished Sejm.
This is a very special moment for me. As the Secretary General of
NATO I have given countless speeches on the future of European
security. But this is different. Speaking in the Sejm has a special
significance. Poland has been the victim of many of the ill winds
that have swept the continent of Europe in this and previous
centuries. For the Secretary General of NATO to address the Polish
Parliament bears a particular significance: it is another sign that
Poland's 200-year struggle for freedom and national identity has
finally been won.
The last ten years have not been short of historic events. Yet when
NATO Foreign Ministers last December in Brussels signed the Protocols
of accession for Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, there was no
other term to capture the true significance of what happened: This
was a truly historic moment. It signified that in this new Europe,
geography is no longer destiny. It signified a sovereign and
self-confident Poland, a Poland no longer the object of others'
ambitions. And it signified that Poland's return to the family of
European democracies is irreversible.
The lessons of the 20th century are clear: If Europe's creative
energies are to prevail over its destructive ones, European unity and
North American engagement are indispensable. Without unity, our
continent cannot break the fateful cycle of mistrust and rivalry that
has haunted it for centuries. Without an outward-looking and
involved North America, Europe cannot find the equilibrium it needs
to complete its grand project of unity. Only together can Europe and
North America face the challenges of tomorrow.
In our Atlantic Alliance these lessons are firmly entrenched.
Through NATO, Europe and North America tied their security
irrevocably together. Based on these strong bonds, a wider Atlantic
community of shared values and interests emerged. Europe was able to
embark on the project of ever-closer integration. Within this
community, war was effectively abolished.
Yet as long as our continent remained divided, our wider aspirations
remained unfulfilled. Without great European nations such as Poland
at our side, our community remained incomplete: its dynamics
constrained by ideological divides; its democratic ideals confined
to flourish in only one half of the continent. Poland, that pivotal
nation, was in Europe, but it could not be with it.
The signing of the Protocols of Accession last December marked
another step towards a community defined by shared values, not by
geography. It was also a milestone for Poland's wider transformation
through her political, economic and military reforms, and her
outward-looking foreign policy. Opening NATO may have served as an
incentive to make progress, but it is first and foremost you, the
Polish people, who deserve credit for having brought Poland closer to
the West.
As an active player in the OSCE, which your country now chairs, and
as the UN's largest troop contributor, Poland has demonstrated its
firm commitment to multilateral security. Yet you have also sought
to enhance security and stability through bilateral efforts. Today,
Poland enjoys cooperative and stable ties with all of her neighbours.
She is an active player in the Baltic region, fostering regional
cooperation and expanding commercial ties between Northern and
Central Europe. And Poland has underscored that solid relations with
Russia are indispensable for a stable and secure Europe.
Poland's invitation to join NATO should also be seen as an
encouragement for further progress. A lot of work remains to be done
between now and April 1999, when Poland's formal accession to the
Treaty of Washington will take place. As we ask our Allied
parliaments to ratify the Accession Protocols over the course of this
year, we have to bear in mind their sensitivities and legitimate
concerns.
Once Poland joins NATO as a full member, the other Allies commit
themselves to the defence of Poland's security and territorial
integrity. This is the strongest, most solemn commitment any nation
can make to another. It is crucial that the new members demonstrate
that they are aware of this fundamental commitment - and that they
are willing and able to return it. In order to receive, one also
must give - this is what NATO is all about.
The mutual defence pledge that is at the heart of the Atlantic
Alliance is not based merely on promises, but on practical
mechanisms. NATO's credibility has never been in doubt. And we will
make sure it never will be.
Poland will have to make serious military contributions to the
Alliance. You already have the capability to do so, but wide-ranging
adjustments will have to be made. You will have to continue to
modernise your armed forces, just as you will have to continue your
efforts to ensure their democratic control. NATO will provide help,
expertise and a solid, reliable framework for this long-term
restructuring - and that means a more cost-effective reform than
could ever be contemplated outside NATO. But equally it will require
the consistent and continued support of you, the Polish Parliament. I
am sure that we can count on you.
NATO does not put unreasonable demands on Poland's preparation for
membership. We are not seeking change overnight. We are not
expecting you to spend vast amounts of money on high-tech new
equipment. No threat forces us to spend excessive sums on our common
defence.
What we want to achieve is first and foremost interoperability
between our armed forces. We need communication systems that can
communicate, we need to be able to send reinforcements in times of
crises, and we need our soldiers to speak the same language. We need
more trained and capable non-commissioned officers, a balanced and
streamlined force structure.
All this can be done at moderate cost. And future new members, like
NATO's present members, will have the time and the freedom to meet
the requirements in a way that they can absorb. No one wants our
new members to put their economic reforms at risk by overspending on
defence.
In this context, Poland's new 15-year plan for the modernisation of
her armed forces is a very important step in the right direction.
Yes, it entails financial burdens, albeit modest compared with the
benefits. But it reflects the reality - that Poland will be a
contributor to our common security, not just a consumer. This plain
fact will not fail to have an impact on Allied parliaments, as they
contemplate ratification in the months ahead. It proves that, by
enlarging the Alliance, we are not compromising its military
effectiveness.
Over the coming months, we will involve Poland, the Czech Republic
and Hungary to the greatest extent possible in Alliance activities.
Your representatives will receive regular briefings on Alliance
policies. They will also participate in many Alliance fora. Your
Ambassadors to NATO are regularly attending most meetings of NATO's
supreme body, the North Atlantic Council. You have representatives at
meetings of many other NATO committees. This will enable you to
become more familiar with the "NATO culture" - the every-day practice
of working together and taking decisions by consensus.
NATO's Heads of State and Government have made it clear that the
process of enlargement will continue and that we will review this
process again in 1999. Indeed, Poland's political and economic
achievements already serve as an incentive for other Central and
Eastern European democracies that have expressed a willingness to
join the Alliance. Encouraged by your example, they are maintaining
their course of reform. Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary are
the first countries to be invited, but they will surely not be the
last.
Ministers,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today, as we approach the parliamentary ratification of the accession
of Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, we can confidently say
that the ground is well-prepared. Enlargement will make Europe more
united, and it will consolidate the transatlantic relationship in
order to meet the challenges of a new century.
It has been said that the pursuit of peace resembles the building of
a cathedral: in concept it requires a master-architect; in execution,
the labours of many. What both the architect and the workers have in
common is the need for the right tools to turn vision into reality.
One such tool is the Atlantic Alliance. If we use it wisely we will
achieve the new Europe we all aspire to. With Poland on our side as
a future new Ally, a Europe not only free of war, but also free from
fear is finally within our grasp. Thank you.
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