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| Updated: 04-Jan-2005 | NATO Speeches |
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Palais d'Egmont, 8 Dec. 2004 |
Remarks by NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
What was underlined of course were the important elements of this Mediterranean Dialogue. I start by mentioning complimentarity. We're not going to duplicate in this relationship what is done elsewhere by the European Union or other international organizations. Second important element, this is a two-way street. This is not about imposing. This is about finding practical ways of working together. Of sharing intelligence, of increasing the interoperability of our forces. Of the possibility for Mediterranean Dialogue partners of support Operation Active Endeavour in the Mediterranean, if they so wish. If they so wish. No imposing. No one-way street, but a two-way street. Point number three. Joint ownership. Very important indeed in the Dialogue. And point number four. The recognition of national and regional specificity. No country is identical to the other. And those are the important elements, I should say, of this Mediterranean Dialogue. There was a clear wish to continue the Dialogue also at this level. So I sincerely hope, and based on the interventions tonight I'm sure that we'll have another meeting at political level. As far as I'm concerned, there should be a meeting in the region in one of the Med. Dialogue countries, of course. We started now here in Brussels, near the NATO Headquarters. The next should be in one of the countries participating in the Mediterranean Dialogue. But the key was: let's find practical ways and means to cooperate. Let's further build trust. And let's see how we can bring this Dialogue into a real partnership making use of the range of instruments. Of course we know well in NATO, in the Partnership for Peace, let's consult and let's work together. I can tell you that all ministers of the Med. Dialogue countries and NATO ministers spoke. So it was an open discussion. It was a frank discussion. And I think we have, as I hoped before we would do, not only celebrate it, ten years of Mediterranean Dialogue - that's a reason for celebration definitely - but the more important thing is to start building up this further trust, building our practical ways of cooperation. It was very clear of course, from the NATO side and also from the side of our Mediterranean Dialogue partners, that there is a lot of public diplomacy to do. As far as NATO is concerned. We have to work on the image of NATO in the region. And the countries themselves recognize this and said we also have to work on NATO's image in the region. I will visit all the countries. I started, as you know, two weeks ago in Algeria. I'll visit all the Mediterranean Dialogue partners, all the Mediterranean Dialogue countries very soon in the coming few months. And I hope that on the basis of my visit we can try to see how and along what lines we will see this Dialogue making progress. I say again, with recognition for the specificity of each and every country. We have two formats, we have the twenty-six plus one format. In our Dialogue we also have the twenty-six plus seven format recognizing the specificity. In my introduction of course I mentioned - I should not forget that - the other decision which was taken in Istanbul at the Summit, the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative focussing on the broader Middle East. You know that my deputy, Ambassador Minuto Rizzo, to whom I owe many thanks because he prepared the way by travelling to the Mediterranean Dialogue region for this dinner. He is preparing the way at the moment - not at this very moment but in this time frame - for getting the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative on the ground. And he has received positive responses from the Gulf region. So I think that we have had an interesting dinner, an open and frank dinner. And I think a foundation has been created and has been let on the political level tonight. And that's the important thing for building up further relationships between the Mediterranean Dialogue partners and NATO. Thank you very much indeed. I'm open and ready to answer your questions. Q: General Secretary, one of the aims now in the strategy of NATO is establishing partnerships or agreements with countries, particularly in the South Mediterranean, dealing with terrorism. Has this thing been dealt with during the dinner and any one has shown an interest on it? DE HOOP SCHEFFER: Absolutely. It was recognized from many sides that if we look at the modern day threats and challenges, terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction filled states are the challenges of today. I mean everybody realizes that the fight against international terrorism is something we only can do together. And this was underlined by many interventions. And we have, as I said, to find practical ways of working together also in this field. And may I mention that Operation Active Endeavour in the Mediterranean - which I mentioned during my introductory words - is of course an anti-terrorist operation. But there are many other forms. But it was to answer your question. I can answer your question positively. It certainly was recognized and discussed. DE HOOP SCHEFFER: Well we're going to further build this up. I mean we have not put in specific requests. I mentioned one practical example. But I say again, two-way street. It is only if the country concerned does feel the inclination to participate or to cooperate. But there's a large degree of willingness from the side of our Mediterranean partners to cooperate. Also in fighting international terrorism. MODERATOR: Next question. Please identify yourselves and … Q: Je voudrais savoir, c'est la première fois que vous rencontrer Monsieur Powell après les elections aux Etats Unis? DE HOOP SCHEFFER: Oui. Q: Et c'est aussi la dernière fois que vous le verrez. Est-ce que … Bon avant donc, merci. C'est la première fois que vous rencontrez Monsieur Powell après les élections, la dernière fois que vous le verrez. Est-ce que vous attendez que son passage aide à préparer la visite de Monsieur Bush après l'hiver, au mois de février? DE HOOP SCHEFFER: J'ai eu bien sûr le privilège de rencontrer Monsieur le ministre Powell, Colin Powell à plusieurs reprises. Vous avez raison ça sera sa dernière visite à l'OTAN dans des réunions ministérielles. Je suis sûr que son successeur, Madame Condoleeza Rice, va poursuivre sa politique étrangère. Je crois que je peux dire que c'était Colin Powell qui a dit, et je le répète avec beaucoup d'autres, qu'il est important de trouver une façon de coopérer pratiquement, de trouver la chose pratique pour coopérer. En n'oubliant pas le cadre géostratégique dans lequel cette coopération entre les partenaires de la Méditerrannée et l'OTAN s'inserit. Mais j'en suis sûr ce que Monsieur Colin Powell a dit ici ce soir, et ce qu'il va dire demain aux réunions du Conseil de l'Atlantique nord va être suivi par son successeur Madame Rice. Q: Léo Bruno agence France Presse. Secrétaire générale, - il y en a deux là - je viens de discuter avec un des ministres dans les sept pays qui me dit très franchement il n'y a pas de relations de confiance entre son pays, en tout cas, et le Dialogue méditerranéen et l'OTAN, que cette confiance est ce qui manque. Il dit deux choses. Globalement, tant qu'on n'aura pas résolu la situation en Irak et le conflit israélo-palestinien, cette confiance ne s'améliorera pas. A votre avis, quelle est la raison vraiment fondamentale qui fait que ces pays ont cette réticence même s'ils ont participé à ce dîner, à ce dialogue avec l'OTAN? DE HOOP SCHEFFER: Je crois qu'il faut exister, qu'il doit exister une certaine base de confiance pour venir ici à Bruxelles, au Palais d'Egmont ce soir. Certainement une base. Mais j'ai dit pendant mon introduction, mes mots d'introduction, que certainement il y a beaucoup de travail à faire pour, comment dirai-je, renforcer cette confiance. Et certes, bien sûr, on a … C'est votre téléphone? C'est pas sur la base de cette confiance que ça sonne maintenant. Je crois bien sûr le conflit israélo-palestinien a été discuté ce soir mais on ne peux pas dire que ça a dominé les discussions. On réalise de la part de l'OTAN, de la part de nos partenaires du Dialogue méditerranéen qu'une solution au conflit israélo-palestinien est d'une extrême importance et que cette solution aiderait beaucoup à renforcer bien sûr, à renforcer la confiance et renforcer le lien. De l'autre côté, je crois que ce dîner ce soir a prouvé aussi que le Dialogue méditerranéen entre l'OTAN et nos partenaires ne doit pas etre du fait que le conflit israélo-palestinien n'a pas trouvé, malheureusement, n'a pas encore trouvé une solution. Alors bien sûr, d'accord, c'est un élément très important quant aux relations dans cette partie du monde. Mais de l'autre côté, il faut continuer à trouver la base politique pour trouver une solution. Mais ne disons pas - et je crois que ça l'a été prouvé ce soir - parce qu'on a eu le dîner, on en a discuté dans une atmosphère très franche et ouverte. On n'a pas conclu que ce dialogue aura été pris en otage parce que le conflit n'a pas trouvé une solution. Q: Thank you very much. Mag Ussef
from Mag News, Egyptian Television. And the second, did you find the atmosphere or the reaction from the seven country of the Mediterranean the same when you ask about improving or making the Dialogue to a partnership? Are the seven country have the same reaction or there is some difference between one and the other? HOOP DE SCHEFFER: I think about your second question, I more or less answered it in my introduction in mentioning this word specificity, own character, own choice of policy. And it goes without saying that if we're going to find more forms of practical cooperation, if we're going to strengthen the Dialogue, some countries will have different opinions than others. I mean I'm the last… I'm the first, I should say, to recognize that Egypt is not Mauritania and Mauritania is not Israel and Jordan is not Tunisia. I hope you understand what I mean. So every country will have its own angle in approaching this Dialogue. And there can certainly be differences in approach between different countries. It goes without saying. I'll be the last one to deny that. There's a bat here. And the bat is that the dinner we have had here tonight was a dinner during which the atmosphere, recognized by all - because I've spoken also to many Mediterranean partner ministers briefly after dinner - the atmosphere was open and frank. That does not mean that of course we agree on everything. And I think there's no need to agree on everything. Let's not forget that this NATO/Mediterranean Dialogue of course takes place in the frame of NATO's competence. NATO is not the first actor. For instance where it goes for the solution for the Israeli/Palestinian problem. So indeed specificity, differences in approach but the general recognition that the moment has come to bring this Mediterranean Dialogue on a stronger footing. And that is an ambition and an atmosphere, I must say, I'm very happy about. That is in fact more than I had expected from the dinner. I think it's important to say it is more than I had expected and I have very good memories to this dinner as I sit here tonight. About the first part of your question, I don't know quite honestly in the longer run, I don't have a crystal ball, what form this Dialogue will take. But you know that's why I mentioned it, distinct but parallel, NATO has decided, NATO as (Inaudible…) in government decided in Istanbul to have this outreach into the broader region. It's a bit early to ask in detail, you ask me, who will be in and who will be out. It will be up to countries themselves. And it will also of course have a relationship, as you rightly implied in your question, with the geo-strategic and political situation in the region. It goes without saying. But let's not, let's have the ambition now to set this Dialogue on a stronger footing to develop this Dialogue into a partnership. And depending on political developments, we'll see how this further develops. And this is then the Mediterranean Dialogue on the one hand and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative on the other hand. Q: (Inaudible…) News Agency. Mister Secretary General, I'd like to ask you about cooperation in another part of the world. There are some speculations about the reasons why scheduled for tomorrow meeting, ministerial meeting with Ukraine will not be held. Could you comment on that? HOOP DE SCHEFFER: Yes, I can. The meeting has been postponed. And postponement is something different, in my vocabulary and I think also in yours, than cancellation. Why has it been postponed? Because the North Atlantic Council, NATO, thought this is not the right moment to have a NATO/Ukraine Commission meeting at the ministerial level. I've informed the Ukrainian Ambassador Khandogiy about this. And NATO's role, NATO's position and NATO's comments on developments in Ukraine, let me stress it once again, had nothing to do, have nothing to do and will not have anything to do with the fact that NATO would favour one or another candidate. NATO's intervention, NATO's position vis-à-vis Ukraine has been founded on the basis of the values NATO and Ukraine have agreed together in the NATO/Ukraine Action Plan. And one of those values and one of those basic principles is that in a country which is a partner of NATO, essentials like free and fair elections, an essential like the people decide for themselves what president they want to have should be adhered to. Now we know from observers that these elections were not free and not fair. And I'm glad to see that on the twenty-sixth of December there will be a re-run. I hope you understand that NATO values its partnership with Ukraine. That NATO does not support any candidate but that NATO wants democracy values and free and fair elections being adhered to. And I'm sure that if that is the case, there will very soon be a NATO/Ukraine Commission at the ministerial level. But I think this is not the moment. UNIDENTIFIED: I think that's it. Thank you so much. Merci beaucoup. Bonne soirée. 
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