Meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council Brussels 8 December 1998

Statement by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Mrs Anna Lindh Mr Secretary General, dear Colleagues, The aim of our partnership should be no less than to create a common Euro-Atlantic crisis management capacity. It is likely that also future NATO-led Peace Support Operations will involve partner countries. Thus, we need to define partners' status in these operations. Our common goal is that a Political-Military framework be adopted at the summit in Washington. Partner's ability to participate would be facilitated if they were involved in the planning well before NATO has taken the decision to launch an operation. This year Sweden has substantially increased the number of units that could be made available for Peace Support Operations. Through the Planning & Review Process (PARP), and the development of Partnership Goals, we increase the effectiveness, security and coordination among nations for crisis management. We are open to ideas for creating multinational formations. However, we should not put the cart before the horse. The conceptual work on multinational units should go hand in hand with elaboration of a political-military framework. The strengthening of Transatlantic relations and improved European capabilities are indeed complementary objectives. The PfP is an instrument to further strengthen the cooperation with Russia and in true partnership create an all-European and Transatlantic crisis management capability. In addition, from a Northern perspective it is important that Russia participates as much as possible in the day-to-day confidence-building PfP-cooperation in the Baltic Sea region. Finally Mr Secretary General, The upcoming Washington Summit should, in a concrete way, uphold the fundamental right of each state to freely choose its security arrangements; a right that is not diminished by the joint responsibility for Europe's security as a whole. At the same time it is essential that we safeguard the basic principles of the PfP cooperation. PfP relations should remain bilateral and programmes and exercises should be open to all interested countries. The joint endeavour in the Euro-Atlantic community to meet future security challenges should be built on international law. In Sweden's view a Peace Support Operation according to chapter VII of the UN Charter requires a mandate from the Security Council.