Address
by the Minister
of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Lamberto Dini
to the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in ministerial session
Mr Secretary-General,
Distinguished members of the Atlantic Council,
Speaking on behalf of the Italian government, it is a great pleasure
for me to welcome you all to Florence.
Exactly five centuries ago, in May 1500, Leonardo da Vinci was also in
Florence, not far from where we are meeting today. Leonardo's mind was
working hard on two great projects that spring. The left side of his brain,
the rationality side as a neurologist might call it today, was designing
fortifications and powerful war machine projects, to be placed at the
service of politics.
The right side of his brain, the side of creativity and sentiments, was
already at work on the design of the Mona Lisa portrait, as the expression
of humanity and the symbol of the Renaissance.Strength and creativity
are also the specific features of NATO, which has demonstrated its capacity
to develop and adapt to new scenarios across the years.It was about one
year ago that the Alliance halted its operations to end the ethnic cleansing
of Kosovo.
Today we are committed to building up a climate of security and peaceful
coexistence in the field for the benefit of thousands of human beings.
Italy, which will be taking over the command of KFOR in the autumn, will
continue to act with the same determined commitment for the well-being
of the peoples of this region.The NATO Summit in Washington, and the Cologne
and Helsinki European Councils marked another great stride forward. They
closed a period of unnatural separation between two institutions, NATO
and the European Union.
It was only yesterday that Europe was prevented from defending itself
because of the global character of the cold war. But something quite new
is now beginning to emerge: the European Union is about to develop a physiognomy
of its own in the security field, complementing NATO. An enhanced European
defence role means an enhanced Alliance, and an enhanced Alliance means
a stronger Europe.Developments in the conflicts in the Balkans demonstrate
the virtues of and the need for interdependence between the assets and
the responsibilities of both institutions.
The return of Russia to the Permanent Joint Council is another great
event at the ministerial session, after a 17-month absence from this crucial
forum for dialogue.The Partnership for Peace is also becoming increasingly
more important. Some 20 percent of the units deployed in the Balkans belong
to our partners. Their commitment to the pursuit of common objectives
is confirmation of the farsightedness shown by those who first conceived
of this form of co-operation.
Tomorrow we shall be joined on the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council
by a new partner, Croatia, which is demonstrating how a country can rapidly
evolve towards new forms of government and conduct that are compatible
with the fundamental principles of our democracies.With Algeria's membership
of the NATO Mediterranean Dialogue new prospects are opening up for co-operation
between the Alliance and the southern shore of the Mediterranean.
Before beginning our deliberations I just wanted to mention a few of
the most important issues on the agenda of this ministerial session which,
I am sure, will be profitable to all. I wish you all a very pleasant stay
here in Florence, which will be your city over the next few days.
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