NATO HQ Brussels 5 Feb. 1999

Welcoming Remarks by the Secretary General to the Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers (CIOR) Mesdames, Messieurs, From left to right, LtCol J.P. Vincke, Sec. Gen. CIOR, LtCol E. Thiry, Pres. CIOR, NATO Sec. Gen., LtCoL J. Vanderlinden, Perm. Rep. CIOR at NATO (61Kb) Bienvenue au sige de l'OTAN. Je suis trs heureux de pouvoir m'entretenir avec vous aujourd'hui. Vous savez tous que l'OTAN va clbrer cette anne son 50e anniversaire par un Sommet Washington. Ce Sommet marquera une tape importante car il influencera l'avenir de l'OTAN et celui de la scurit europenne en gnral. En avril nous ne clbrerons pas simplement l'oeuvre de l'organisation qui a assur un demi-sicle de paix l'Europe occidentale. Nous prendrons aussi les dcisions ncessaires pour que l'Alliance soit prte affronter le nouveau millnaire. O en sont les prparatifs du Sommet? Permettez-moi de faire rapidement le point sur les questions principales : Tout d'abord, nous accueillerons la Rpublique tchque, la Hongrie et la Pologne comme nouveaux membres. Leur adhsion notre Alliance est peut-tre le signe le plus clair que la guerre froide est vraiment termine et que l'Europe est entre dans une re de dveloppement commun. Les trois pays ont tous avanc grands pas pour se prparer devenir membres de l'OTAN. Chacun est parfaitement prt remplir les obligations qui sont celles d'un Alli. Les premiers nouveaux membres ne seront pas les derniers. La porte de l'OTAN restera ouverte. C'est pourquoi Washington sera aussi un signe clair de la volont de l'OTAN de poursuivre le processus d'largissement. Je dirai cet gard que nous laborons actuellement un ensemble de mesures conues pour permettre aux Partenaires de se rapprocher de l'Alliance et pour aider les pays qui aspirent une adhsion future rpondre aux normes de l'OTAN. Le Sommet sera pour nous l'occasion de dvoiler officiellement cet ensemble de mesures. Nous continuerons de dvelopper les programmes de coopration du Partenariat pour la paix. Au Sommet de Washington sera trac un cadre qui permettra aux Partenaires d'tre davantage associs aux consultations politiques, la prise de dcision, aux dispositions de commandement et la planification d'oprations diriges par l'OTAN pour ragir aux crises et soutenir la paix. Nous nous servirons des programmes du Partenariat renforc pour largir encore l'interaction et l'interoprabilit entre Allis et Partenaires. Parmi les ides actuellement tudies dans cette perspective, je citerai les centres d'entranement PPP, les formations multinationales dans le cadre du PPP et l'utilisation des techniques de simulation pour amliorer notre capacit d'agir ensemble. Le Sommet mettra la touche finale notre structure de commandement remodele et un nouveau concept de quartier gnral. Cette adaptation permettra l'OTAN de rester forte et d'avoir les moyens de fonctionner comme une alliance politico-militaire cohrente dans un environnement de scurit trs diffrent. Par exemple, avec ces nouvelles structures, l'OTAN sera mieux mme de dployer des forces pour des oprations de soutien de la paix. Nous amliorerons les possibilits d'incorporer des Partenaires dans une opration commune. Et nous pourrons soutenir des coalitions que dirigeront des Europens, en vertu d'une identit europenne de scurit et de dfense qui se fait jour au sein de l'Alliance. On voit dj cette identit europenne se faire jour. L'OTAN et l'UEO travaillent de plus en plus troitement ensemble, y compris cette semaine, o les ambassadeurs ont discut de la coopration entre les deux organisations en matire de gestion des crises. Cette identit se fait galement jour - sur le terrain. La Force d'Extraction de l'OTAN, qui est prte retirer les vrificateurs de l'OSCE du Kosovo si ncessaire, est une force principalement europenne. Cela dmontre clairement que l'identit europenne de scurit et de dfense n'est plus une thorie, ni mme juste un but - elle devient ralit. Ladies and gentlemen, We are also preparing a defence capabilities initiative, to improve interoperability and sustainability among Alliance forces. As you know better than I, the progress in military technology is breathtaking. We must ensure that the military forces of Allies can work together closely and effectively and be able to move distances efficiently and quickly. They must be able to communicate with one another, service-to-service, Ally-to-Ally. We will also take a closer look at the risk posed by weapons of mass destruction. They can pose not only a risk to our national territories, but also to our troops which may be involved in peacekeeping missions. That is why we are preparing a Summit initiative on weapons of mass destruction. Finally, the Summit will unveil a revised Strategic Concept to guide Alliance activity into the next century. It will reaffirm Allied commitment to collective defence and the transatlantic link. The Strategic Concept will also set out a coherent, strategic view of the past decade of NATO's adaptation, including NATO's new roles and missions, and translate this into Alliance defence and military requirements for the challenges ahead. These are just some of the major aspects of the Washington Summit. They demonstrate that this Summit is more than a birthday party. We are setting the course for NATO in the 21st century. But my briefing would be incomplete if I wouldn't share with you some thoughts on the current crisis in Kosovo. Years of harsh repression by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia led to the inevitable explosion of violence that has claimed many innocent lives and driven tens of thousands from their homes. Last October, NATO's threat of force stopped President Milosevic's brutal offensive and prevented a full-scale humanitarian disaster. We also used PfP and other measures to help stabilise immediate neighbouring countries, like Albania and FYROM. We sent planes to patrol the skies above Kosovo to monitor compliance with international agreements. And we established an Extraction Force to evacuate, in case of emergency, OSCE personnel on the ground verifying compliance. In December it became clear that Milosevic was not respecting his commitments to NATO or the wider International Community, and that the Kosovar side was prepared to fight Belgrade's relentless repression. Last week the international community decided that the cycle of violence, fuelled by both sides, had to end. A negotiating process, led by the Contact Group, was set in motion last Friday, and one day later NATO decided to back up that process with the threat of military action. Much work lies ahead to reach a peaceful and lasting settlement. With determination and the full engagement of the International Community, including NATO, we will succeed. Let us not forget that in the past decade we have achieved so much that seemed impossible at first. We have seen cooperation take place between NATO and its former adversaries, including Russia. We have seen the European integration process grow, most recently with the launching of the EURO. Most dramatically, we have seen an unprecedented international effort to end the war in Bosnia and secure lasting peace for that devastated country. These are no small achievements. They should give us the confidence that we can meet the challenges that lie ahead. The spirit is there. The tools are there. And, last but not least, the forces are there - active and reserve. This is a strong combination. The loyal support given to the Alliance by the CIOR is one important part of that combination, and I thank you, on behalf of the North Atlantic Council for more than 50 years of contributing to peace, security and stability in the transatlantic area.