4 & 5-7 Feb. 2004

Secretary General visits France and Germany News 04/02/2004 - NATO NATO Secretary General to visit Berlin 5 - 6 February 2004 02/02/2004 - NATO Secretary General of NATO to visit France Opion Speech by NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer at the Munich Security Conference During visits to Berlin and Paris NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer called for renewed transatlantic cooperation, saying this was the most effective means of tackling today’s security threats. The Secretary General visited Paris on 4 February and Berlin and Munich from 5 to 7 February. The visits were part of the traditional welcome tour of NATO and partner countries each new Secretary General makes at the beginning of his term in office. “ Over the past few weeks I have been visiting several Allied capitals, on both sides of the Atlantic. And I came away from all those visits with one strong message: it is time to put the differences of the past behind us. It is time to get back to business,” said the Secretary General in a speech at the Munich Security conference. “ The transatlantic community has realised that we have no more time to waste. That there are simply too many threats on the horizon, too many challenges for us to tackle.” In Paris, Mr. de Hoop Scheffer met with President Jacques Chirac and Defence Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie. As on previous visits, the Secretary General outlined his priorities and discussed key issues on NATO’s current agenda, including its missions in Afghanistan, the Balkans and the transformation of the Alliance. Mr. de Hoop Scheffer then travelled on to Berlin for similar talks with Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and Defence Minister Peter Struck. He also met with members of the Parliamentary Defence and Foreign Affairs Committees. In Munich, on 6 and 7 February the Secretary General chaired an informal meeting of NATO Defence Ministers and addressed the Munich Security Conference.