Opening remarks

by NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
Meeting of the North Atlantic Council

Ministers, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Let me extend a particular welcome, in public, to those Ministers who are joining their first NATO meeting.

Our meetings yesterday and today are the first at ministerial level after the Bucharest Summit.

They provide an opportunity to review the implementation of decisions taken by our Heads of State and Government concerning our operations, in particular in Afghanistan and in Kosovo, and the Alliance’s defence transformation efforts.

Our meetings will also provide building blocks towards the 2009 NATO Summit in Strasbourg-Kehl.

Of course, operations remain a top priority.

I would like to pay tribute to the men and women serving in the NATO-led missions and operations and offer our deepest sympathy to the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives and to those who have been injured in the course of service.

We focused yesterday on the challenges that lie ahead in Afghanistan and in Kosovo.

With regard to Afghanistan, I presented a report on the implementation of the Comprehensive Strategic Political-Military Plan agreed by the Heads of State and Government in Bucharest. We discussed how to step up our help to build Afghan capacities; coordination with the other actors on the ground; and our engagement with Pakistan, which must develop more fully.

Kosovo was of course also discussed extensively with our KFOR partners yesterday. And I think we are confident that KFOR has the forces and the capabilities to carry out its mission effectively.

Aujourd'hui, nous allons parler de la transformation. Nous devons faire en sorte que nos forces soient aptes à relever les défis sécuritaires actuels et se tiennent prêtes à réagir aux menaces naissantes. À cette fin, nous allons évaluer les efforts visant à améliorer le transport stratégique et le transport intrathéâtre, notamment en ce qui concerne la fourniture d'hélicoptères aptes à la mission, faire le point sur la mise en œuvre du concept de la NRF et donner un nouvel élan à l'établissement de la capacité alliée de surveillance terrestre.

La réunion que nous tiendrons plus tard dans la journée avec le ministre Serdioukov sera l'occasion d'examiner des questions de sécurité internationale et de faire le bilan de notre coopération militaire et en matière de défense, y compris en ce qui concerne la contribution de la Russie à l'opération Active Endeavour.

Enfin, nous rencontrerons le ministre Ekhanourov afin d'examiner ce que devront être nos relations dans les domaines de la défense et de la sécurité au cours de la période de collaboration intensive que nous avons entamée avec l'Ukraine à Bucarest.