Speech
by
US Secretary of State, Colin Powell
at the Meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council
Panel
1: The Future of the EAPC/PfP: "Strategic Reach"
Mr. Secretary General, distinguished colleagues. 2002 is an
important year for the Alliance: We are making a fundamental
change in the way we do business with Russia. We are working
toward a robust round of enlargement. We will keep the door
to NATO membership open. 2002 should also be the year we adapt
our Partnership Council and the Partnership for Peace, in light
of their importance in addressing new security challenges.
Many of NATO's Partners arc on the front lines, facing the
same threats as Allies: terrorism and regional instability.
To help them is to help ourselves. In fact, our collective defense
demands an invigorated Partnership for Peace. In our common
interest, we must make decisions at Prague that extend the Partnership's
strategic reach.
Our task is to ensure that, by the Prague Summit, we have dynamic
new programs that will equip the EAPC and the PfP to continue
to play a vital role. Re-energizing these sessions and modernizing
their format are a useful first step, but we must do much more.
The EAPC and the Partnership for Peace must develop flexible
approaches to meet the pressing security concerns of all members.
Above all, we must work together Allies with Partners, West
with East, Partners with Partners. The countries of Northern
Europe can work with the countries of Central Asia, and the
countries of Central Asia should work with each other- Just
as the Partnership for Peace contributed to peace and stability
in Central Europe and the Balkans during the 1990s, so it should
now be refocused to meet the needs of countries not on a track
for NATO membership but seeking greater engagement with NATO.
I want to put a few ideas on the table. My goal is to ensure
that all Partners are full Partners, and that this Council remains
a vital forum for political consultation. These ideas are for
your consideration, and I would be very interested in your thoughts.
To begin with, we really need to hear more from you, our partners.
We should re-energize our assessment and feedback program to
identify the security priorities of our partners, in particular
those in Central Asia, the Caucasus and in South Eastern Europe.
For those countries that would find it useful, we encourage
participation in the Planning and Review Process (PARP) to help
them focus on restructuring their forces to meet their needs.
In Albania, we have a PfP cell that was set up to assist with
the implementation of Albania's Individual Partnership Program.
We should consider setting up such cells in those states in
Central Asia and the Caucasus that are interested in having
them and prepared to contribute actively to their success. We
should look at our active schedule of exercises, to see if we
can include more regional exercises to foster further cooperation
as well as greater interoperability. In doing so, we also must
remain sensitive to the demands of ongoing operations - especially
the war against terrorism - and the additional resources necessary
for an enlarged exercise program.
In addition, we should consider expanding the scope of Partnership
activities to meet more of the security concerns that we all
share, such as border security.
These efforts will require resources. Many of us are already
doing a great deal in these regions bilaterally. We should think
about whether we could be more effective and more efficient,
if we do more together as Allies and Partners. If others are
ready to work with us, we will be prepared to shoulder our share
of the burden. In sum, Allies and Partners must be ready to
deliver on any new commitments made.
My primary goal is to take cooperation with Partners to a new
level, to foster more fluid political consultation and higher-end
military cooperation that will - among other things - increase
Partners' ability to address key security concerns, increase
interoperability with NATO, and expand counter-terrorism cooperation.
All Partners can bring value-added to partnership activities,
and all must participate in building a stronger partnership.
But not everyone must participate in exactly the same way.
Some of you see NATO membership as a possible part of your
future security planning. I would encourage you to ask the advice
of new and older Allies to develop programs focused on your
specific security concerns. Others do not envisage NATO membership.
You should seek the advice of Allies, and those States that
arc active contributors to the Partnership and that see a strong
Partnership as part of their future.
Such "variable geometry" is healthy, and will foster
a growing network of relationships that will enhance security
for all of us.
Our shared goal is to build stable, democratic societies supported
by professional military forces under civilian control. I say
a "shared goal" because the security of Partners and
Allies remain closely linked. To achieve this, we need substantive
programs that address priority security needs identified by
Allies and Partners.
Of course, this is the just the beginning of our conversation
on new approaches. Together, we must develop a dynamic package
for the consideration of our Heads of State and Government.
I hope that by Prague, we will have an array of new programs
tailored to strengthen the security of all of our peoples.
|
