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Flood prevention
and response in Ukraine
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A workshop on flood preparedness in the Transcarpathian region
of Ukraine took place in Budapest, Hungary on 6-7 May. The aim of
the workshop was to present the findings of Phase One of the Joint
NATO-Ukraine Pilot Project on Flood Prevention and Response.
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Paddy Ashdown
at NATO HQ
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In his capacity as the new High Representative and EU Special Representative
for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lord Ashdown came to NATO HQ on 8 May
to meet Lord Robertson. They discussed the progress made by Bosnia
and Herzegovina in areas such as the return of minorities, constitutional
changes, the elections in October of this year and the restructuring
of the country's armed forces.
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Exercise
Cooperative Poseidon
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The first phase of a NATO/Partnership for Peace submarine safety
exercise started on 8 May and will continue until 11 May. Its aim
is to adopt common safety procedures to minimise the risk of submarine
accidents. The first phase consists in a seminar that will allow
participants to be introduced to NATO submarine safety doctrines
and procedures, while Phase II will allow them to practice these
principles through a real-time tactical simulation exercise. The
second phase will be held from 16-20 September in Frederikshavn,
Denmark.
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| Croatian Foreign Minister
visits NATO HQ |
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Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula was at NATO Headquarters
on 8 May for a meeting with NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson
and the North Atlantic Council - NATO's top decision-making body
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| Meeting of NATO Chiefs of
Defence Staff |
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NATO's Military Committee convened at NATO Headquarters on 7-8
May for one of three meetings it holds every year at the level of
Chiefs of Defence Staff (CHODS). During these two days, it met in
different configurations: on 7 May, the NATO CHODS met with their
Russian and Ukrainian counterparts in separate sessions, as well
as with the other members of NATO's Euro-Atlantic Partnership Military
Committee; on 8 May, they held a session without the participation
of Partner countries, which was followed by a press conference given
by the Chairman of the Military Committee, Admiral Guido Venturoni.
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| SFOR and KFOR missions evolve
to meet new challenges |
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On Friday 9 May, the North Atlantic Council approved a series of
changes to the Alliance's missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and
Kosovo. The changes, which were agreed after consultation with all
troop-contributing nations, are designed to introduce a more regional
approach to operations, boosting efficiency and allowing for troop
reductions.
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| Exercise Ardent Ground 2002
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The annual live firing training exercise, Ardent Ground, is taking
place in northern Germany from 12-24 May. Its aim is to train elements
of the Allied Command Europe Mobile Force (Land) to carry out its
various military and humanitarian functions.
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Setting
the agenda for the modernisation of NATO -
Meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Reykjavik, Iceland |
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Key security issues, including the adaptation of the Alliance to
face new challenges, were at the top of the agenda for NATO and
Partner Foreign Ministers who gathered in Reykjavik on 14-15 May.
Considered as a "vital stepping stone on the road to NATO's
Summit in Prague" and to the NATO-Russia Summit meeting
in Rome on 28 May, these Spring Ministerial meetings focused on
the modernisation of NATO and its adaptation to the changed security
environment. "NATO was transformed after the Cold War to
build a new kind of security across Europe. It was transformed yet
again to meet and overcome instability in the Balkans. Now it must
change once more to deal with the threats of a new century"
explained NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson, during a press
conference. He added that Foreign Ministers had provided the guidance
for NATO's transformation during the two-day meeting: "Terrorism,
enlargement, new capabilities, new relationships - this is the agenda
of change".
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| NATO AWACS return from the
United States |
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A ceremony was held at the Geilenkirchen AWACS Air Base in Germany
on 16 May, to mark the conclusion of Operation Eagle Assist, one
of NATO's contributions to the fight against terrorism. NATO Secretary
General, Lord Robertson, was joined by the Supreme Allied Commander
in Europe, General Joseph Ralston, the chairman of the Military
Committee, Admiral Guido Venturoni, and the US Ambassador to NATO,
Nicholas Burns, to welcome the last AWACS crews returning from the
United States.
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| Creation of a common forum
to discuss NATO and EU defence matters |
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"The New Defence Agenda (NDA)", a forum set up to discuss
NATO and EU defence and security policies, was launched on 17 May
with a conference on "Defence and Security in an uncertain
world". The aim of the NDA is to offer a platform for political
decision makers, officials, representatives from industry and policy
analysts to discuss European defence and security issues on a regular
basis and to promote an informal debate on these issues among a
wider European public.
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| NATO extends its mandate
in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1)
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NATO members countries agreed, on 21 May, to extend Operation Amber
Fox in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1).
Operation Amber Fox was launched on 27 September 2001, on the request
of President Trajkovski, to contribute to the protection of international
monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe
and the European Union. The mission has now been extended a further
four months until 26 October 2002.
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| Large-scale fire-fighting
exercise in Croatia |
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Exercise Taming the Dragon - Dalmatia 2002, one of the largest
NATO civilian-military exercises, is taking place in southern Croatia,
21-24 May. It is an international fire-fighting exercise which is
being conducted in South East Europe, a region which suffers regularly
from wild fires. Croatia is hosting this exercise as part of its
joint activities with NATO within the Partnership for Peace programme.
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| Exercise Dynamic Mix 2002
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A live, computer-assisted exercise called Dynamic Mix started on
21 May and will last until 6 June. The aim of this biannual exercise
is to maintain troop readiness in NATO's southern region to respond
immediately to any crisis. Exercise Dynamic Mix 2002 is therefore
training personnel in command and control procedures and communications
interfaces during crisis response, collective defence and humanitarian
assistance operations.
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| NATO's Military Committee
in the Balkans |
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The Deputy Chairman of NATO's Military Committee, Vice Admiral
Fages of the US Navy, and Military Representatives from NATO member
countries flew to the Balkans, 22-23 May. During their visit, they
met with NATO peacekeeping personnel from Task Force Fox, in the
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1)
and spent some time with KFOR, NATO's peacekeeping force in Kosovo.
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| NATO-Ukraine Joint Working
Group on Science and Environment |
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A meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Working Group on Scientific and Environmental
Cooperation took place on 22 May at NATO Headquarters, consolidating
relations and cooperation already being developed in the areas of
science and environment. The meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Andriy
Hurzhiy, First Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Education
and Science of Ukraine, and Mr. Jean Fournet, NATO Assistant Secretary
General for Scientific and Environmental Affairs.
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| President Shevardnadze visits
NATO Science for Peace project |
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Among the engagements of President Eduard Shevardnadze of Georgia
on Georgia's National Day, on 26 May, was a visit to inspect a NATO
Science for Peace project which is supporting the development of
a high-technology process for the production of integrated circuits
used in all areas of the electronics industry. The Minister of Science
and Education and the Mayor of Tbilisi also participated in the
visit.
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| Women in uniform - 26th
annual meeting |
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The Committee on Women in the NATO forces meets annually to discuss
policies and practices affecting servicewomen in the armed forces
of NATO member countries. This year they met at NATO HQ, 26-31 May,
where they focused on lessons learned from gender integration throughout
the Alliance.
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Fifth
anniversary of NATO-Russia special relationship - a turning point
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Exactly five years ago, on 27 May 1997, Russia's President, Boris
Yelstin, the then NATO Secretary General, Javier Solana, and NATO
Heads of State and Government signed the Founding Act on Mutual
Relations, Cooperation and Security between NATO and the Russian
Federation. The Founding Act acknowledged that NATO and Russia were
no longer adversaries and marked the beginning of a new era in relations.
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Spring
Council meeting of the ATA at NATO HQ
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Atlantic Treaty Associations (ATA) from NATO and Partner countries
held their Spring Council meeting at NATO HQ on 27-28 May. The first
day was dedicated to internal matters, covering issues such as planning
for the upcoming ATA Annual Assembly meeting in Istanbul, general
business and the organisation of specific events such as a seminar
on education to be held in Denmark this November. On the second
day, ATA representatives were briefed on current issues by General
Joseph Ralston, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), as
well as by other NATO officials, covering policy issues and discussions
on the future of the Alliance.
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Rome
Summit lays the foundations for a stronger NATO-Russia relationship
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From the Pratica di Mare Air Force Base near Rome, on 28 May, Heads
of State and Government from NATO member countries and the Russian
Federation "launched a new era in NATO-Russia cooperation".
They signed the Rome Declaration, "NATO-Russia Relations: A New
Quality", that has formally established the NATO-Russia Council.
This new forum "will serve as the principal structure and venue
for advancing the relationship between NATO and Russia".
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| Lord Robertson briefed on
Norwegian defence reform |
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Most issues on NATO's current agenda, in particular, NATO's transformation
and adaptation to new security threats, the Balkans, developments
in NATO-Russia relations, enlargement, NATO-EU relations and their
impact on NATO members which are not members of the EU - as is the
case for Norway - and defence reform were discussed during Lord
Robertson's meetings with Norwegian government leaders and officials
on 31 May.
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| International
Seminar "Security and Cooperation in the Mediterranean after
September 11" |
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| Who |
NATO - Centre de Estudios y Anlisis de Seguridad |
| Where |
Palacio de la Madraza, University of Granada |
| When |
31 May - 1 June 2002 |
| More |
Programme |
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