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Ireland
becomes a NATO Partner
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On 1 December Ireland signed the Partnership for Peace (PfP) Framework
Document in a special signing ceremony in the North Atlantic Council
-NATO's highest decision-making body. Ireland thus became the 25th
member of PfP.
In his welcoming remarks to Ireland, the Secretary General, Lord
Robertson, said that this was truly a historic moment, and that
by joining PfP and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC),
Ireland marked another step in her contribution to a new, more stable
and more secure Europe.
In the afternoon of 1 December the EAPC Ambassadors endorsed Ireland's
addition to the EAPC, in accordance with the EAPC Basic Document,
and the Irish Ambassador to Belgium, H.E. Eamonn Ryan, took Ireland's
seat at the table.
Ireland has contributed to the NATO-led peace support operations
in Bosnia and Kosovo. It has also participated in NATO's Ad Hoc
Group on cooperation in peacekeeping with Partners.
Additional information:
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KFOR
support in Kosovo
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The NATO-led peace-keeping force, KFOR, continues to implement
the security provisions of UN Security Council resolution 1244,
which authorises an international civilian and security presence
in Kosovo to ensure peace and stability and political and economic
reconstruction of the province. Priority tasks include the protection
of minorities, external border and internal boundary controls, close
supervision of the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC) and countering
trends towards cantonization of the province.
Support is also being provided to civil implementation tasks, in
particular the "Winterisation" programme. This programme
continues to gain momentum as KFOR ensures the delivery of substantial
amounts of humanitarian aid, including food and clothing, to minorities
and villages in need of assistance. KFOR, in conjunction with non-governmental
organisations (NGOs), has delivered over 10,000 cubic meters of
essential firewood throughout Kosovo. KFOR units, along with the
KPC and NGOs, are working together to construct 500 winterised classroom-tents
with flooring, lights, stoves and furniture. These tents will provide
temporary accommodation for 15,000 school-aged children.
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Albania
develops its cooperation with NATO
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| Albania's Individual Partnership Programme (IPP) for 2000-2001
will soon be approved. IPPs are tailor-made programmes which spell
out the political aims, the military assets a Partner is willing to
contribute to Partnership for Peace activities, and the areas of cooperation
the country has chosen to develop with NATO. These two-year programmes
allow Partners to differentiate themselves and determine their degree
of activity.
Albania is among the 9 Partner countries preparing for possible
membership of the Alliance. The 8 other countries are: Bulgaria,
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1).
1. Turkey recognises the Republic of Macedonia
with its constitutional name.
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Defence
Ministers at NATO HQ
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| NATO Defence Ministers are meeting for a 2-day meeting (2 and
3 December) in Brussels. Ministers will take stock of nuclear related
issues such as arms control and missile defence. They will also review
NATO defence and force planning, with the intervention of NATO Secretary
General, Lord Robertson, who is concerned about reductions in defence
spending. Discussions will also be held on the Balkans, namely the
restructuring of SFOR and progress made in Kosovo.
After discussing NATO-Russia and NATO-Ukraine relations, Ministers
will follow up on decisions taken at the Washington Summit. They
will raise the question of common logistic capabilities for different
operations and the development of NATO-EU relations. The meetings
will continue on the second day with the participation of Ukraine
and close after members of the now 45-member Euro-Atlantic Partnership
Council has convened, which will focus on cooperation in the Balkans
and developing partnership.
Additional information:
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NATO-UN
cooperation in Kosovo
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During a meeting in New York on 6 December, NATO Secretary General,
Lord Robertson, and the Secretary General of the United Nations,
Kofi Annan, focused on further cooperation between their organisations
in Kosovo. Before the meeting, Lord Robertson had voiced his concern
over continued acts of violence in the province, following the publication
of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's report
on Kosovo in which the pre-planned and systematic nature of crimes
perpetrated by the Serbs against Kosovar Albanians was confirmed.
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Networking
Infrastructure for North-West Russia
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A workshop was held in Petrozavodsk, Karelia, Russia, from 7-10
December, to study the setting up of a common data communications
infrastructure for non-commercial, academic and research networks
in the Barents Region of Russia.
At present, there is a tendency in the region for institutions
to have separate networks, and because of limited resources it is
important to find ways to share infrastructure among a number of
partners. The workshop considered the academic networks of Scandinavia
as a model for a network in this region, which would benefit the
professional community in science, education, environment, telemedicine
and health care.
The workshop was organised with support from the NATO Science Programme,
and co-directed by scientists from Petrozavodsk State University
and NORUT Information Technology, Tromso, Norway.
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Lord
Robertson continues visits to Allied capitals
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| After his meeting in New York, Lord Robertson proceeded to Washington
on 7 December where he met President Clinton, Secretary of Defense
Cohen and National Security Advisor Berger. His tour of NATO member
countries continued in Rome from 8 to 9 December where he met President
Ciampi, Prime Minister D'Alema, Foreign Minister Dini and Defence
Minister Scognamiglio.
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