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Updated: 20-Nov-2001 Week of 15-21 September 1999

15 Sep. 1999
NATO-Russia meeting

On 15 September, the NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council (PJC) met at NATO HQ. The Alliance's 19 Ambassadors and Russia discussed the situation in and around Kosovo, NATO-Russia cooperation in the NATO-led peacekeeping force, KFOR, and ways of further improving the security situation in the province. This is the second NATO-Russia PJC meeting since the end of the Kosovo crisis.

15 Sep. 1999
NATO Workshop in Novosibirsk

A workshop on "Sponsored Biological Research in Russia for the New Millenium" recently took place in the Novosibirsk Region of Russia. The Workshop was supported under the NATO Science Programme and the host institution was the State Research Center for Virology and Biotechnology, Koltsovo, Russia. It was co-directed by Prof. Lev S. Sandakhchiev, Director General of the Center, and by Dr. J. Wolfram of the US Department of Energy and brought together scientists from the United States, European countries and Japan, to interact with Russian colleagues in the southern Siberian Region of Russia.

The workshop was held to exchange scientific information about ongoing research in biotechnology, and to discuss the potential for international collaboration and the development of selected research areas for commercialization. Topics discussed included Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Biodiversity/Sustainability of Natural Resources, and International Collaboration Opportunities and Commercialization.

16 Sep. 1999
Solana goes to Bern

On 16 September, NATO Secretary General, Dr Javier Solana, visited Switzerland where he met Federal Councillors Adolf Ogi (top)-Vice-President of the Swiss Confederation and Head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport- and with Joseph Deiss (left)-Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Their discussions centred around Kosovo, the development of security in Southeast Europe, Partnership for Peace (PfP) and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC). The Secretary General also met a number of parliamentarians.

This is Dr Solana's second visit to Switzerland, which is one of the 24 members of PfP. It became a member of PfP in 1996 and a member of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Cooperation (EAPC) in May 1997.

18 Sep. 1999
Solana in the United States

Before chairing the Informal Ministerial meeting in Toronto, NATO Secretary General, Dr Javier Solana, first held bilateral meetings in Washington D.C., 18-20 September. He met with President Clinton, Secretary of State Albright, Secretary of Defense Cohen and National Security Advisor Berger.

Dr Solana returned to Washington D.C. after the Toronto Ministerials to address the National Defense University, 23 September, and to participate in a seminar held in Norfolk, Virginia, at the HQ of the Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT). The seminar entitled « Forward Looking, Forward Moving : NATO in the 21st century » focused on three different themes : responding to future security challenges, managing change in transatlantic industrial cooperation and hi-tech opportunities.

20 Sep. 1999
Kosovo

On 20 September, the Commander of KFOR, Lt.-Gen. Jackson, accepted a statement from the UCK Chief of Staff, General Agim Ceku, that the demilitarisation of the UCK was complete, and as of midnight that night the UCK ceased to wear uniforms and insignia.

Following the completion of the UCK's demilitarisation, the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Kosovo, Dr Bernard Kouchner, issued a regulation for the establishment of a new Kosovo Protection Corps, or Trupate e Mbrojtjes se Kosoves (TMK) in Serbo Croat, and appointed General Ceku as its Commander. COMKFOR, Lt.-Gen. Jackson, and General Ceku signed an agreement laying down the principles for the TMK.

In a statement made on 21 September, Dr Solana welcomed the establishment of the TMK, which will be a multi-ethnic civilian force and will play an important role in civil emergency planning and reconstruction tasks in Kosovo.

21 Sep. 1999
Defence Ministers meet in Toronto

From 21-22 September, Defence Ministers from all 19 member countries will be gathering in Toronto for one of their annual meetings. During these two days, they will focus on the evolution of the situation in Kosovo and other security-related issues raised at the Washington Summit last April. The meetings will be chaired by NATO Secretary General, Dr Javier Solana, and hosted by the Canadian Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Art Eggleton.

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