30 June 2003

Five priority areas for the Mediterranean Dialogue News 27/06/2003 - NATO NATO Secretary General to visit London to speak on Mediterranean security Opinions   30/06/2003 - NATO Speech by NATO Secretary General at the Royal United Services Institute Conference on "NATO & Mediterranean Security: Practical Steps towards Partnership" - London Key links Mediterranean Dialogue The fight against terrorism, countering weapons of mass destruction, crisis management, defence reform and military-to-military cooperation are the five priority areas for cooperation with NATO's seven Mediterreanean Dialogue countries stated Lord Robertson at a conference in London on 30 June. "Our aim - the common objective of NATO and its Mediterranean partners - should be to establish a pragmatic, long-term relationship based on mutual security interests. If we manage that, the new NATO that is now emerging - playing to its strengths and acting in concert with other major institutions - can make a real difference to Mediterranean security". Lord Robertson was giving the keynote speech at a conference on "NATO and Mediterranean security: practical steps towards partnership". This was the second year running that NATO has co-sponsored a conference in collaboration with the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), London. It brought together senior scholars, policy-makers and media representatives from NATO and the seven Mediterranean Dialogue countries - Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia - and mainly focused on ways of further stimulating dialogue and reinforcing the development of a security community in Mediterranean Dialogue countries.