Berlin, Germany 14 Sep . 2005

Opening remarks by NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Before we begin our session, I would like to invite you to join me this morning, only a few days after the anniversary of the attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001, in a minute of silence to remember all the victims of terrorism, not just in the US, but also in Madrid, Turkey, Beslan, London and elsewhere. Today, we will also discuss how we can strengthen our contribution to the fight against terrorism. Terrorism is, and will remain, high on our agenda. I want to take this opportunity to underline our strong solidarity and our reinforced determination to continue to fight against terrorism as long as necessary. N otre séance de travail hier après-midi a été l'occasion d'un débat ouvert et franc sur les aspects politiques clés de la transformation militaire de l'Alliance. Nos discussions ont fourni une impulsion et des directives politiques indispensables à la bonne continuation des travaux en cours à ce sujet. Ce matin, nous allons examiner nos opérations et missions actuelles en Afghanistan, en Iraq, au Kosovo et au Darfur, en particulier à la lumière des élections parlementaires à venir en Afghanistan et du tout prochain examen de la mise en œuvre des standards au Kosovo. Let me pay tribute to all the servicemen and women serving in NATO operations and missions. We remember especially those who have been killed or injured in the line of duty. Just last month 17 Spanish soldiers tragically died in their service of NATO. Minister Bono, please accept our condolences also for the families and friends of the victims. Let me also add that we have all been profoundly saddened by the immense devastation Hurricane Katrina has wrought on the Gulf Coast of the US. America’s Allies and Partners have stood in solidarity with the American people and are doing all they can to support the US Government in their relief effort. As a natural consequence of our solidarity and support, NATO has commenced a naval and air operation to bring relief supplies from Europe to the US. Later today we will meet with our Russian colleague in an informal NATO-Russia Council session.