NATO, Brussels 9 Oct. 2006

Video Briefing on current issues by the NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer Multimedia Video of the briefing JAAP DE HOOP SCHEFFER (NATO Secretary General): Thank you for tuning in to the NATO website.  We have now only two months to go until the summit in Riga, Latvia, and much of the work from now on will focus on making this summit a success.  NATO just completed two meetings on a ministerial level, one in New York and one in Slovenia, the Foreign Ministers' meeting, a meeting of Defence Ministers, and I think we now have a good sense of direction and also a good sense of the work that still remains. Let me start on NATO's operations. In Afghanistan, we just completed what we call stage four of the NATO ISAF Expansion, which means that NATO ISAF now also has responsibility for the eastern part of the country. We took an important decision on equipping and training the Afghan national army and I think when we discuss Afghanistan, it is important to step back from our daily reports and look at the big picture. And I think we can qualify what happens in Afghanistan as a steady success.  Of course, we are facing difficulties but we need to reinforce our success and we will encourage and are encouraging the civilian parts of the operation in Afghanistan to step up their game because let me make it very clear, there is no military solution for Afghanistan.  Afghanistan solution is about development, is about reconstruction and is about nation-building, and the military are creating and can create the climate in which that reconstruction and nation-building can take place. Another NATO operation also very important, Kosovo, the western Balkans. We have started the discussion on a role for NATO when hopefully soon there is agreement on the status of the province.  And when the NATO heads of state and government will meet in Riga, we will, as things stand now, be near a decision on the way forward by Martti Ahtisaari, the former Finnish president, who as you know is running this process. Let's go south into Darfur, that horror-stricken region. As you know, at the request of the African Union leadership, NATO has extended and NATO will extend its support to the African Union until the end of this year, until the end of 2006. And you know that is transporting African Union troops and forces in and out of Darfur and be responsible for some forms of training. Speaking about Darfur, I consider it very important that at the end of the year, the United Nations can take over, a UN force can take over from the African Union and I don't know to what extent that will be an issue at the Riga Summit. Let me say a few words about NATO's outreach.  Although the Riga Summit is not a summit on NATO enlargement as such, as you know, NATO allies will soon begin drafting exact language on a signal we want to send to countries who aspire NATO membership.  How exactly that signal will look like is a bit difficult to say, but I think I'm not far off the mark if I say it will be an encouraging signal to them. On NATO's Partnership for Peace, we will address how we approach the aspirations of Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro who all three are aspiring the Partnership for Peace status. You know that as far as Serbia is concerned, as far as Bosnia-Herzegovina is concerned, there still is the question of full cooperation with the ICTY, the tribunal in The Hague on war crimes. I think this is an important discussion and we have to see if and how we can find the solution. On Ukraine and Georgia, when we discussed Ukraine and Georgia, but that goes for every nation aspiring a closer relationship with NATO, they decide, the nations themselves decide the speed of their process.  Reform is here the key and reform, of course, is up to them. NATO assists them and helps them in reform. You know that NATO is not actively looking for new members but on the other hand, I have to say and I have to repeat that the door is open for those new members who fulfil the criteria and who are qualifying for NATO membership. Let's say a few more words on Riga and mention the notion of global partners.  NATO is not a global alliance and NATO has no ambition to become a global alliance but NATO needs global partners. Why?  Because the threats and challenges NATO is facing are of a global nature. What I expect Riga to do is devise a flexible format to deepen political and practical relations with what we call countries beyond the Euro-Atlantic area.  This will be discussed in the run-up to Riga. Think about nations like Japan, like South Korea, like Australia, like New Zealand, nations who share our values and nations who also from their part have shown an interest in entering into a more frequent dialogue with NATO. Riga would not be a real summit, of course, without a discussion on capabilities.  I think we have made progress in the past year or so, progress on air lift, heavy transport aircraft, progress on missile defence, progress on our program, what we call defence against terrorism.  I could mention a bomb detecting laser.  I could mention the work we are doing in harmonizing our efforts to detect improvised explosive devices, but more needs to be done here. I hope that by Riga, we can call the NATO Response Force, what we call fully operationally capable.  In layman's terms, that it can do all the jobs it is supposed to do. On defence spending, I have a critical message.  Only seven of the 26 NATO allies meet the benchmark of 2 per cent of the gross domestic product on defence spending.  It's clear that we need to do better here.  I know that not any nation can reach the target immediately, but I think we should at least have the ambition to reach the 2-per-cent benchmark of GDP spending at a certain stage. Let's look at our current demands. I mentioned Afghanistan.  I can mention Lebanon where also NATO allies sent their forces.  I can mention Iraq. I can mention the E.U.-Congo mission. I can mention Côte d'Ivoire.  Nobody can create these forces at the drop of a hat. It needs, be it in NATO, be it in the European Union, be it elsewhere, it needs investment, also financial investment in capabilities, in the forces. My predecessor spoke, Lord Robertson spoke about capabilities, capabilities and capabilities.  And he's right. We have to do what is necessary to do also in this regard and in this domain.  In conclusion, I hope you get the picture from these brief introductory words. NATO's plate is full, very full from now until the 28th of November when we'll have and when we'll start our summit in Riga. I certainly hope to be able to update you once more between now and then but I hope you will also spread the message that NATO is very relevant in its operations, in its missions, in its outreach and in developing its capabilities. I'm sure we're going to have a very successful summit, but as I promised you, I'll be back to you before the summit. Thank you very much for your attention, and till then, till next time.