13 Feb. 2004

NATO Secretary General visits Italy News 12/02/2004 - NATO NATO Secretary General to visit Italy Background NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer traveled to Rome on 13 February as part of his welcome tour of NATO countries and to discuss key issues on the Alliance’s agenda. The Secretary General met with President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, the President of the Senate, Senator Marcello Pera, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Foreign Minister Franco Frattini and Defence Minister Antonio Martino. The talks focused on the main issues on NATO’s agenda ahead of the upcoming Summit meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government in Istanbul this June, as well as NATO's operations and transformation. Mr. de Hoop Scheffer praised Italy’s contribution to NATO-led operations and global security. He welcomed in particular the government’s decision to establish a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan. Succeeding in bringing security to the country remains NATO’s top priority, he said. Reaching out to Mediterranean partners An important aspect of the discussions was strengthening and expanding NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue. The Istanbul Summit will mark ten years since the establishment of NATO’s partnership programme with seven Mediterranean partner countries, known as the Mediterranean Dialogue. At their meeting in Brussels in December 2003, NATO Foreign Ministers directed the Alliance to consider ways to further enhance the Mediterranean Dialogue at the Istanbul Summit. These discussions are currently ongoing.