9-10 Oct. 2001

Lord Robertson discusses terrorism with President Bush Following his trip to Canada on 8-9 October on the occasion of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson spent two days in Washington D.C., 9-10 October, where he met with President George Bush, members of the Cabinet and leading Senators to discuss terrorism, the Balkans, NATO-Russia relations and enlargement. Lord Robertson and President Bush's meeting was dominated by the measures taken by the Alliance as a whole to assist the United States in the fight against terrorism. Although NATO is not taking a lead role in operations, President Bush thanked Lord Robertson for the support of the other 18 member countries of the Alliance. They also raised the question of the Balkans and the back-up role European troops are willing to play to free US troops for Operation Enduring Peace. They discussed the enlargement process, stressing that the terrorist attacks had not changed the Alliance's strategy toward the aspirant countries, Lord Robertson's meeting with President Putin on 3 October and missile defence. The Secretary General also discussed these issues, as well as NATO-EU relations with Vice-President Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice, Secretary of State for Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Deputy Secretary of State for Defense Paul Wolfowitz. He also met with members of the US Congress and gave a speech on NATO's response to terrorism to members of the Atlantic Council of the United States. The trip ended with a visit of Lord Robertson to the site of the terrorist attacks at the Pentagon. Additional information: NATO Press Release (2001)137: NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson, to visit Canada and the United States - 8 October 2001 An Attack on Us All: NATO's Response to Terrorism - Remarks by NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson at the Atlantic Council of the United States, National Press Club, Washington - 10 October 2001 Webmodule: NATO and the Scourge of Terrorism