29 May 2003

Lord Robertson visits Operation Active Endeavour and Madrid The Secretary General paid his first visit to Operation Active Endeavour, along the Straits of Gibraltar, on 29 May. Lord Robertson met crews from Spanish, Norwegian and Danish ships participating in the operation that was launched on 26 October 2001, after the September 11 terrorist attacks against the United States. The aim of the operation is to carry out patrols and surveillance activities in the Mediterranean as part of the international campaign against terrorism. Other contributing countries include Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Operation Active Endeavour was reinforced by a decision taken on 4 February for Alliance naval forces to escort Allied non-military ships travelling through the Straits of Gibraltar. It took effect from 10 March. From his visit at sea, Lord Robertson travelled on to Madrid where he met the President of the Government, Aznar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Palacio, and the Minister of Defence, Trillo. Additional information: Operation Active Endeavour NATO Press release (2003)060 : NATO Secretary General to visit Operation Active Endeavour and Madrid - Thursday 29 May 2003 - 28 May 2003 NATO Multimedia - 29 May 2003 High resolution photos of NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson visiting the Active Endeavour Task Force NATO Photos AFSOUTH Photos