4 Mar. 2004

Secretary General visits Poland News 03/03/2004 - NATO NATO Secretary General to visit Poland Opinions “NATO's Transforming Agenda" by NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer at the Diplomatic Academy, Warsaw In the five years since its accession, Poland has demonstrated that it is a true Ally, “for good and bad weather”, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said on a visit to Warsaw on 4 March. Mr. de Hoop Scheffer met with President Aleksander Kwasniewski, Prime Minister Leszek Miller, the President of the Lower House of Parliament, Marek Borowski, Foreign Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz and Defence Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski. In his meetings, the Secretary General discussed key issues on the Alliance’s agenda ahead of the upcoming Summit meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government in Istanbul this June. Mr. de Hoop Scheffer praised the ongoing reform of the Polish armed forces, saying that he hoped that it would continue at its current pace. The situation in Iraq, where NATO is supporting Poland in its leadership of a sector of the multinational stabilization force, was also discussed. Five years since Poland’s accession “Five years ago, when Poland became a member of NATO, the Polish Foreign Minister promised that Poland would be a ‘good and credible ally, for good and bad weather’. In the time that has passed since then, Poland has kept its promise,” said the Secretary General in a speech at the Diplomatic Academy in Warsaw. “Terrorism, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, and ‘failed states’ are challenges Europe and North America can only meet together. NATO is the place where common responses are being developed. And it is the place where common decisions are converted into common action,” he added.