29-30 Jan. 2004

“Time to get back to business” News 28/01/2004 - NATO NATO Secretary General to visit the United States Opinions 29/01/2004 - NATO Speech by NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer at the National Defense University in Washington D.C. 30/01/2004 - NATO Remarks by NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and US President George W. Bush at a photo opportunity in the Oval Office of the White House , Washington D.C. During a two-day visit to the United States, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer called on Europe and the United States to set their differences aside and address key security threats. Mr. de Hoop Scheffer was in Washington D.C. on 29 and 30 January for meetings with President George Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice. In a keynote address at the National Defence University, he said that there was “no alternative” to dialogue and cooperation between NATO member countries. “My message is simple: it’s time to get back to business. There are simply too many threats on the horizon, too many challenges for us to tackle,” he said. In his meetings, the Secretary General outlined his priorities and discussed the main challenges the Alliance faces. Top on the agenda was Afghanistan and the situation in Iraq. The Secretary General said in his address that Afghanistan remained NATO’s first and immediate priority, and that the Alliance “cannot afford to fail” in its mission to bring security to the country. His second priority was to ensure that NATO was prepared to play a greater role in Iraq, if it were called upon to do so. He stressed however that this was a decision for NATO member countries to take. Currently the Alliance is supporting Poland in its leadership of a multinational division in the country. In this context, Mr. de Hoop Scheffer emphasized the need to urgently address the current shortfall of usable and deployable troops among NATO countries. “Look at Afghanistan. I will be honest – we are not flooded with offers of troop contributions to expand into the provinces. Not because NATO members don’t want to. But because they are having real trouble coming up with deployable forces to take on this new task,” he said. The Secretary General concluded his visit with meetings with members of the US Senate Armed Service Committee and other government officials. He attended a dinner hosted by the Atlantic Council of the United States.