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NATO-Russia
meeting
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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.
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NATO
Workshop in Novosibirsk
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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.
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Solana
goes to Bern
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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.
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Solana
in the United States
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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.
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Kosovo
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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.
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Defence
Ministers meet in Toronto
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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.
Additional information:
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