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NATO's
two strategic commands conduct exercise "Strong Resolve"
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A major military exercise called "Strong Resolve 2002"
will take place in Norway and Poland from 1 to 15 March. It will
test NATO's ability to conduct two simultaneous operations: a NATO
Article 5 collective defence operation and a crisis response operation.
It will involve naval, ground and air forces from the Alliance's
two strategic commands: the Supreme Headquarters Allied Forces Europe
(SHAPE) and the Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (HQ
SACLANT).
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Ukrainian
Prime Minister visits NATO
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Ukrainian Prime Minister Anatoliy Kinakh met with NATO Secretary
General Lord Robertson and NATO Ambassadors in the course of a 1
March visit to NATO headquarters.
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Lord
Robertson visits Berlin
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NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson visited Berlin, Germany,
on 4 March to speak at both the opening ceremony of the new Potsdam
Center for Transatlantic Security and Military Affairs and a conference
on NATO-Ukraine relations organised by the Aspen Institute.
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Lord
Robertson unveils commemorative picture
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NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson unveiled a picture commemorating
the terrorist attacks against the United States of 11 September
by the British artist Ashley Jackson at NATO headquarters on 6 March.
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Amnesty
law brings hope to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1)
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A focal point of Lord Robertson's, meetings with the top government
officials of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1),
President Trajkovski (photo top left) on 6 March and Prime
Minister Ljubco Georgievski (photo bottom right) on 11 March,
was the country's decision to pass an amnesty law. Lord Robertson
said that while "an amnesty law is never something easy
after a time of conflict, it is an essential part of any healing
and confidence-building process and a huge milestone in the peace
process for Macedonia". The amnesty law will cover criminal
acts related to the 2001 conflict, including high treason, mutiny,
armed rebellion and conspiracy against the state, but exclude those
crimes currently under the jurisdiction of the UN War Crimes Tribunal.
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Lessons
from the Cold War
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The Dutch Group of the Liberal International invited Lord Robertson
to give a speech at its meeting in The Hague, The Netherlands on
7 March. This group, which brings together Liberal parties in Europe,
had also invited Dutch government officials such as the Foreign
Minister, Jozias van Aartsen.
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"The
world after September 11"
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An international conference on "The world after September
11: lessons learned", was held in Monaco, on 7-9 March.
It looked into ways in which the events of 11 September changed
the ordering of the international system, the challenges posed by
terrorism and the role of Alliances, including NATO, in shaping
the new security architecture of the world.
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New
head of UN Administration in Kosovo visits NATO
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The new head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission
in Kosovo (UNMIK), Mr. Michael Steiner, met with NATO Secretary
General, Lord Robertson, at NATO HQ on 11 March. Their discussions
centred on ways in which NATO and UNMIK can continue to cooperate
to make the new interim administration work effectively, in the
interests of the people of Kosovo. Lord Robertson pledged NATO support
for a "relentless attack" on organised crime in
the region, in cooperation with UNMIK, and a "strong and
robust military posture appropriate to the sense of stability"
in Kosovo.
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Lord
Robertson visits Paris
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NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson, was in Paris on 12 March
for talks with French Defence Minister Alain Richard. Among the
issues discussed were international efforts to fight terrorism,
NATO enlargement, NATO-Russia relations, the situation in the Balkans
and France's contribution to NATO-led operations in the region.
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First
visit of Bosnian Tri-Presidency to NATO HQ
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On 13 March, the Tri-Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina came
to NATO HQ. Mr Beriz Belkic, the Chairman of the Presidency, Mr
Jozo Krizanovic and Mr Zivko Radisic met NATO Secretary General,
Lord Robertson and the Alliance's most important decision making
body - the North Atlantic Council.
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Visit
of NATO's Military Committee to Sarajevo
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The members of NATO's Military Committee went to Sarajevo to visit
the Headquarters of the Stabilisation Force (SFOR) in Bosnia and
Herzegovina on 14-15 March. The trip was part of the committee's
annual visit schedule designed to enable its members to meet NATO
representatives in the field and receive detailed briefings on SFOR's
day-to-day activities, as well as its wider agenda.
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Transfer
of authority in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1)
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Since 15 March, Lieutenant General Francisco Jose Gomez Carretero
(bottom right on photo) has temporarily assumed the duties
of Major General Gunnar Lange (top left on photo) in Skopje,
in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1).
Lt Gen Carretero will perform these duties until there is formal
approval of a replacement for Maj. Gen. Lange, in accordance with
established NATO practice and procedures.
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INTEX
2002 in Bulgaria
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The annual one-day exercise, INTEX 2002, of the NATO Group Experts
on Warning and Detection Systems (GOEWDS) took place in Bulgaria
on 16 March. Its aim was to practice communications and procedures
for the international exchange of information on detection and monitoring
of radiation releases threatening populations.
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Geilenkirchen
and Operation Eagle Assist
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Crews returning from a regular rotation from Operation Eagle Assist
were greeted by NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson, who was
visiting the Geilenkirchen AWACS Air Base in Germany on 18 March.
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Visit
of President Shevardnadze
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During his three-day visit to Brussels, the President of Georgia,
Mr Eduard Shevardnadze, met with Lord Robertson on 18 March. Their
discussions mainly focused on the role of the Caucasus in the campaign
against terrorism, Georgia's partnership with NATO and, in particular,
NATO's assistance in helping Georgia modernise and reshape its armed
forces.
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Civil
emergency courses in Partner countries
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A seminar on "Communications in national emergencies"
has taken place in Estonia, 18-20 March. During their briefings,
emergency responders identified communication problems which have
been encountered during real time crisis and the communicators offered
solutions using, inter alia, telephone systems, the postal service
and the internet. The seminar also included a live exercise on ice
in which the Estonian Rescue Board demonstrated communication solutions
and command and control from an emergency centre.
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NATO
course with Partners in Oberammergau
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Protecting populations against chemical, biological, radiological
and nuclear threats, as well as experience gained in Kosovo, were
just some of the issues discussed at a Civil Emergency Planning
(CEP) and Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) course held at the
NATO School (SHAPE) in Oberammergau, Germany, 18-22 March.
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Visit
of Members of the Joint Israel/Palestine Center for Research and
Information to NATO Headquarters
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For the first time ever, an Israeli and Palestinian group visited
NATO HQ on 20 March. Representatives of the Joint Israeli-Palestine
Center for Research and Information met with NATO Secretary General
Lord Robertson and participated in a briefing programme on the Alliance's
current policies and objectives, as well as its Mediterranean Dialogue.
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The
upcoming Prague Summit
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With NATO's upcoming Summit approaching rapidly, NATO Secretary
General, Lord Robertson, travelled to the host city of Prague on
20-21 March to meet with President Vaclav Havel, Prime Minister
Milos Zeman and other high-level politicians.
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Opening
of an information, consultation and training centre in Moscow
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A contract between NATO and the Moscow State University for Economics,
Statistics and Informatics (MESI) was signed in Moscow on 20 March
2002 for the opening of a NATO-Russia "Information, Consultation
and Training Centre". This centre will soon be opened by
the Ministry of Defence in Moscow and will deal with the resettlement
of military personnel due for discharge or already discharged from
the armed forces of the Russian Federation. NATO, which is funding
the project, was represented at the signing ceremony by the NATO
Economics Committee Chairman, Mr Patrick Hardouin.
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Meeting
of the Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society
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During a two-day meeting of the Committee on the Challenges of
Modern Society (CCMS), a fruitful exchange of information took place
on current pilot studies, short-term projects and workshops on the
following themes: regional cooperation, the reduction of the environmental
impact of military activities and the identification of new threats
to security. A new CCMS pilot study on "Effective Risk Response
Strategies" was also launched.
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Conference
on stability in the Mediterranean
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"Governing stability across the Mediterranean Sea: a transatlantic
perspective" was the theme of a conference held in Rome
on 21-23 March. It examined ways of developing cooperation, mutual
understanding and confidence-building measures between NATO and
Mediterranean Dialogue countries, as well as other neighbouring
countries, and addressed ways of strengthening transatlantic cohesion
in the aftermath of the 11 September terrorist attacks. A paper
produced by the organiser of the conference, the Istituto Affari
Internazionali, discussed the way forward for NATO's Mediterranean
Dialogue in preparation for the Prague Summit in November 2002.
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Lord
Robertson attends EU Defence Ministers' meeting
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Lord Robertson was invited to the informal meeting of EU Defence
Ministers in Saragoza on 22-23 March to discuss current issues,
such as terrorism and Europe's military capabilities. They also
discussed the proposal of EU Heads of State and Government at their
Summit meeting in Barcelona on 15-16 March, to take over from NATO's
Task Force Fox in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1),
after elections in the country and as soon as a "permanent
arrangement with NATO" on modalities for cooperation have
been reached.
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Social
and psychological consequences of terrorism
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Since the terrorist attacks of 11 September, chemical, biological
and radiological (CBR) terrorism is a threat that preoccupies governments
and populations to an even greater extent. A NATO-Russia workshop
was held from 25-27 March to study the Social and Psychological
Consequences of such attacks. It was held at NATO HQ and organised
by NATO and Russia as a follow-up activity to discussions between
President Vladimir Putin and Secretary General Lord Robertson in
October 2001.
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Restructuring
the armed forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina
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One of the main issues raised during the visit of the Tri-Presidency
of Bosnia and Herzegovina to NATO HQ on 13 March 2002 was the restructuring
of the country's armed forces. NATO's Stabilisation Force (SFOR)
has been assisting the country's Standing Committee on Military
Matters (SCMM) in this matter since May 2000 when the Peace Implementation
Council (PIC) in Ministerial Session requested NATO's assistance.
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Richard
Armitage at NATO HQ
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US Deputy Secretary of State, Richard L. Armitage, came to NATO
HQ on 27 March to brief the North Atlantic Council - NATO's most
important decision making body- on a number of pressing issues.
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