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War
crimes' suspect arrested
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Soldiers in the NATO-led Stabilisation Force (SFOR) arrested a
war crimes suspect in Bosnia and Herzegovina and, on 1 April, NATO
Secretary General Lord Robertson warned other fugitives that they
faced a similar fate.
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NATO
Standardisation Agency questionnaire
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As part of NATO's continuing efforts to improve the ability of
Alliance military forces to work together, the NATO Standardisation
Agency (NSA) has developed a web based questionnaire that is designed
to assist in determining the possible need and nature of a training
programme for those involved in NATO standardisation.
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Retraining
of redundant military officers in Croatia
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NATO has decided (5 April) to support a comprehensive programme
set up by the Croatian government to retrain redundant military
officers, as part of defence reforms being introduced in the country.
The Croatian Separated Personnel Care and Transition Programme (SPECTRA)
aims to provide support to all groups concerned, whether it is to
develop individual transition plans, train personnel to face the
job market or create sources of pre-identified jobs in the private
sector or in other governmental agencies.
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Change of
command for naval force in Eastern Mediterranean
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STANAVFORLANT, NATO's Standing Naval Force Atlantic, has been deployed
in the Eastern Mediterranean since October 2001, in support of Operation
Active Endeavour, as one of NATO's actions in the international
campaign against terrorism. On 5 April, a change of command ceremony
took place: Commodore Fernando Jose Ribiero de Melo Gomes (Portugal),
commander of this naval squadron since end March 2001, was succeeded
by Rear Admiral Manuel Otero Peñuelas (Spain).
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Lord Robertson
in Washington D.C
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NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson, has held a series of high-level
meetings in Washington D.C., 9-10 April. He met with President George
Bush, Vice President Richard Cheney, National Security Advisor Dr
Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Under Secretary
of State Richard Armitage, Under Secretary for Political Affairs
Marc Grossman and other members of the US Administration involved
in defence issues, as well as members of Congress.
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Biannual
civil emergency planning meeting
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Heads of civil emergency planning and civil protection agencies
from NATO and Partner countries will be meeting at NATO HQ, Brussels
on 10-12 April. During this biannual meeting of NATO's Senior Civil
Emergency Planning Committee (in plenary session), participants
will discuss ways to improve preparedness against possible chemical,
biological and radiological attacks against civilian populations,
as well as other issues related to co-operation in the field of
civil emergency planning. In particular, representatives will focus
on the implementation of concrete measures identified last November
in the Civil Emergency Planning Action Plan. The World Health Organisation
will also contribute to the proceedings.
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NATO security
seminar in Bosnia and Herzegovina
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A high-level seminar on "Partnership for Peace - Cooperation
for Security" was held in Sarajevo on 12-13 April. Participants
from Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the President of the Presidency,
Beriz Belkic, were able to share their security concerns with NATO
representatives, but more importantly to benefit from Hungary's
experience of Partnership for Peace and NATO membership through
presentations given by Hungarian security experts and by the Under
Secretary of State from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Csaba Korösi,
on defence reform and lessons learned.
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Working towards
a new mechanism for NATO-Russia cooperation
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"The 20 countries will sit around a table as equals discussing
subjects we have identified and where we see the prospect of joint
decisions and joint action", explained NATO Secretary General,
Lord Robertson at a joint press point with the Foreign Minister
of the Russian Federation, Igor Ivanov. The Russian Foreign Minister
was at NATO HQ on 15 April to pursue discussions with Lord Robertson
on the creation of a new mechanism for NATO-Russia cooperation.
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Discussion
on the Prague Summit agenda
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The US Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Marc Grossman, after
meeting with Lord Robertson last week in Washington D.C., came to
NATO HQ to continue discussions on the agenda of the Prague Summit.
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Exercise
Bright Eye
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A Search and Rescue (SAR) exercise has started in NATO's Northern
region to test and further develop procedures and facilities for
the command, control and coordination of SAR resources. Exercise
Bright Eye 2002 started on 15 April and will last until 24 May.
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Exercise
Cooperative Lantern 2002
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A Partnership for Peace exercise, Cooperative Lantern 2002 (Cola
02), is taking place in the Netherlands, 15-26 April. It is practising
crisis response operation procedures in a multinational environment,
with the participation of civil as well as military organisations.
Its main objectives are therefore to enhance military interoperability
by making units from different countries work together and practise
interacting with civil agencies such as the United Nations and non-governmental
organisations.
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ATA delegation
in Moscow
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A delegation of the Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA) headed by
Mr Alan Lee Williams, Chairman, travelled to Moscow, 15-17 April,
to meet Russian officials and participate in a seminar on "NATO
and Russia - building true partnership".
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National
Armaments Directors hold biannual meeting
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Defence capabilities and means of fighting terrorism dominated
the biannual meeting of the Conference of National Armaments Directors
(CNAD), 16 April. Defence capabilities and their enhancement, for
which the CNAD has a lead role, and the availability of different
types of technologies to fight international terrorism were examined,
including technologies which could be of immediate use for action
and those that could be adapted in the short term, as well as further
measures that needed to be developed.
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Lord Robertson
in Athens
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NATO-Russia cooperation, Greece's role in the Balkans and, in particular,
the European Union's European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP)
and NATO-EU relations were at the top of Lord Robertson's agenda
during his visit to Athens on 17 April. He met Prime Minister Simitis
and the main opposition party leader (New Democracy), Mr Konstantine
Karamanlis, with whom he held bilateral meetings.
Regarding developments in a defence role for the European Union
and, more specifically, the Ankara Document which has not been accepted
by Greece, Lord Robertson said: "I recognise that for the
moment there are Greek reluctances that we should address. On the
other hand, I recognise that there is a will to find a solution."
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Ceremony
at NATO command near Madrid
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A Foundation Stone ceremony was held at the NATO Joint Sub-Regional
Command South West, in Pozuelo de Alarcón near Madrid on
17 April, marking the establishment of new facilities for this headquarters
in Spain.
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NATO reasserts
its commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina
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The Secretary General, Lord Robertson, and NATO's 19 Permanent
Representatives on the North Atlantic Council travelled to Bosnia
and Herzegovina on 18-19 April, to reiterate NATO's commitment to
a safe and secure environment in the country. During the trip, Lord
Robertson announced that NATO will be reducing SFOR troop levels
this year, but stated that "We came to assure people that
NATO is not going away and we will remain in sufficient numbers
and with sufficient strength to do the job we set out to do".
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Cooperative
Nugget 2002
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Phase 1 of a NATO Partnership for Peace military exercise, Cooperative
Nugget 2002, has started in Sweden, 20-26 April. It consists of
a workshop on NATO's operational planning process and involves military
personnel from five NATO countries and 13 partner countries. This
part of the exercise is being hosted by the Swedish Armed Forces
International Centre/Partnership for Peace Training Centre in Almnas.
Phase 2 will take place at Fort Drum Army Base in Watertown, New
York from 19-27 June and will involve two other sites: one for the
Combined Joint Forces Land Component Commander Response Cell in
Lisbon, Portugal, and the other for a Battalion Response Cell in
Enkoping, Sweden.
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Medal ceremony
for service in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1)
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Lord Robertson awarded NATO medals to personnel from the Alliance
who took part in operations in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
(1). In his remarks, the Secretary General said
the recipients had all played a valuable role in an "historic"
operation that successfully prevented a civil conflict.
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NATO-Russia
workshop on decommissioning nuclear-powered vessels
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A workshop dealing with "Unresolved Issues Remaining in
the Decommissioning of Nuclear Powered Vessels" took place
in Moscow from 22-24 April, and was attended by high-level officials,
including Mr. V. Lebedev, Secretary of State and Deputy Minister,
Ministry of Atomic Energy of Russia.
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| Conference on security in
the Mediterranean |
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On 29-30 April, a high-level conference was held at the Royal United
Services Institute (RUSI), London, on "NATO and Mediterranean
Security". Lord Robertson gave the keynote address, entitled
"NATO and the Mediterranean - Moving from dialogue to partnership",
in which he outlined how security in the Mediterranean is linked
to that of Europe and the need for NATO to enhance its relationship
with countries in the region.
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| Exercise Ample Train 2002
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A multinational aircraft cross-servicing exercise is taking place
in NATO's northern region, at Air Station Aalborg, Denmark, 29 April
to 3 May. Exercise Ample Train 2002 aims to improve the ability
of air force logistics personnel to work on and with each other's
aircraft, therefore improving interoperability. It will involve
training ground crew personnel in tasks such as refuelling, safety
checks and ensuring weapon safety of armed aircraft, outside the
context and pressures of a live flying exercise.
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| Statement by the Secretary
General on the conclusion of Operation Eagle Assist |
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On the basis of material upgrades to the US air defence posture
and enhanced cooperation between civil and military authorities,
and following a recent US evaluation of homeland security requirements,
the North Atlantic Council today agreed to terminate Operation Eagle
Assist effective 16 May 2002.
This decision concludes NATO's historic first deployment of assets
in direct support of operations in the continental United States.
It also reflects the North Atlantic Council's great satisfaction
with the significant contribution to counter-terrorism efforts that
the Allied Airborne Early Warning and Control (AWACS) aircraft have
made.
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| NATO-EU talks on security
cooperation |
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"These two organisations, which were once said to inhabit
the same city but different planets are now working closely together
in the interest of peace and stability in Europe" stated
Lord Robertson at a joint press conference with the High Representative
for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, and the
Chairman of the Political and Security Committee of the European
Union, Ambassador Casajuna on 30 April.
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| Maritime Environmental Protection
Strategy |
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In an active programme pursuing Maritime Environmental Protection,
one of NATO's Special Working Groups has developed a common vision
and a technical programme to respond to the obligation for naval
ships to be increasingly compliant with stringent national and international
environmental regulations. An objective for the group is to be a
leader in this field, so that navies are at the forefront in the
battle against pollution.
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