News Conference

by Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
following the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council in Foreign Ministerial Session

JAAP DE HOOP SCHEFFER (Secretary General of NATO):The NATO discussion this morning focused on the Balkans beginning with Kosovo. No need to explain to tell you that this is a very critical moment in the evolution of this issue. There is in fact the choice between a controlled process with a clear resolution of the United Nations Security Council in a timely manner which provides the legal basis and a political road map to provide a solution and to make a choice for the Kosovo status issue.

Or, the alternative, the bad alternative is that we'll have to face an uncontrolled process with unforeseeable risks. Allies, of course NATO Allies, clearly want the first option. And as you know NATO has a lot at stake given the fact that 16,000 men and women in uniform are in NATO KFOR in Kosovo. Of course NATO is not making the political decisions; that is for the United Nations Security Council. But our forces are there and we have a profound interest as NATO in a process that concludes as soon as possible.

We saw in that meeting a reiteration of the support for the proposals put forward by President Ahtisaari. They are the only realistic way forward and they also reflect, in the opinion of the Allies, the closest the parties will come to compromise. Allies believe that the time after eight years has come for a decision on this issue and progress. As I said, the Allied Ministers also discussed the Balkan region more broadly based on the assumption - you know it very well by now - that Euro-Atlantic integration is the road to lasting security and stability in that region. And in this context they addressed the membership aspirations of the three countries who are in the Membership Action Plan.

The message is and was clear. NATO's door is open to those nations who are able to meet our performance-based standards. No tickets have been punched or are being punched. Performance-based is the key and that is why Ministers agreed it was an informal meeting, but I felt the sense around the table to open another cycle in the Membership Action Plan to the aspirant countries so that they can, as they should, continue to make reforms through this year as we approach the summit next spring. So we'll see another perhaps slightly abbreviated focused cycle in the Membership Action Plan.

Let me now turn to the NATO-Ukraine Commission and let me first of all also publicly once again congratulate Mr. Yatsenyuk, Arseny, with his appointment as Foreign Minister of Ukraine and I'm happy to share the stage with him here this morning. We met already in Brussels. We had had rather intensive consultations on the telephone sharing experiences, but it was good to have Minister Yatsenyuk here today in the NATO-Ukraine Commission, his first clearly.

I think that it was an important meeting. I think that the NATO Ministers appreciated his assessment of the current political situation in Ukraine. Underlining that situation and those discussions are exclusively a matter for Ukrainians and not for NATO. Allies of course did stress that the political process must respect democratic principles and the rule of law and I can tell you that that is what was very clearly said by the Ukrainian Foreign Minister as well.

What is NATO's line? It is up to Ukraine, the Ukrainian people, to decide the pace at which it wishes to move closer to the Euro-Atlantic institutions. NATO and the NATO Allies are ready to help and we will continue to do so. It was good to hear from Minister Yatsenyuk this morning that funds have been provided for an information campaign on what is NATO and on NATO. We'll use, as we have done this morning, the fact that we have intensified dialogue between Ukraine and NATO, to the full - and in that respect let me once again in the presence of the Ukrainian Foreign Minister express our appreciation and gratefulness for the fact that Ukraine is such an important security provider.

In Kosovo, for the NATO training mission in Iraq, there is now the offer of civilian experts for a provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan, as well as preparations for participation of Ukrainian naval vessels in Operation Active Endeavour in the Mediterranean. So you see this is proof for Ukraine being a very serious security provider to and for NATO in its different operations and missions.

The upcoming anniversary, the 10th anniversary of the distinctive partnership between NATO and Ukraine, will be a good opportunity not only to reflect on the achievements of the last 10 years, but also to look ahead. I think we share a positive evaluation of the partnership and we look to build on it.

Two remarks to conclude. I told you about the discussions on the subject of Afghanistan yesterday. I can tell you that Minister Peter MacKay, the Canadian Foreign Minister, raised the issue of detainees which resonated, had a resonance, with his colleagues, with the other Ministers. And in the meantime we have seen that on the detainees, the Afghan government, Afghan authorities, are ready to make an inquiry into these allegations - it’s still allegations - on the way some detainees were treated.

Entirely finally, I already got a question yesterday. There is indeed a decision and I'm very pleased with this, that the next NATO summit in spring next year will be held in Bucharest in Romania. I'm very pleased and very happy that the Romanian authorities and that Romania is ready to organize this; what will without any doubt be an important summit.

This is what I have to tell you. It's high time that I look at Minister Yatsenyuk for his comments. Arseny please.