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By deciding today on holding a summit meeting next year, the Alliance is sending out an important political signal, a signal of determination in confronting new challenges.
In the months ahead, leading up to the summit, we must intensify our efforts to complete the process of NATO's internal and external adaptation, well aware as we are, that the results of such a process will have significant consequences for the security architecture of the entire pan-European area.

Internal adaptation should enable the Alliance to take up its new missions, by strengthening its capabilities, particularly in the fields of crisis management, stabilization, and peace support.

We believe that our efforts in this direction should be inspired by four principles: maintaining a strong transatlantic link, developing further cooperation between NATO and WEU, establishing a closer association of the Partners, and expanding the options available to respond to the new challenges facing the Alliance.

In recent years the relevance for NATO of the southern area has been increasing. It can be assumed that this trend will continue in the future. Therefore, we must devote to the southern region greater political attention and the necessary resources reflected in a robust and efficient command structure.

Concerning the Combined Joint Task Forces, we believe that the three first nucleus should be rapidly set in place, including the one at AFSOUTH, in Naples. This would contribute to giving substance to the relationship between NATO and WEU, to linking more closely the Partners participating to the CTJF concept, and to widening the options available to NATO to face the new challenges.

Concerning the Alliance's external evolution, we deem it essential that during the coming months the enlargement process be developed in a transparent manner, so as to avoid engendering new divisions, misunderstandings and suspicions among the European countries and avoiding geographical imbalances in the Alliance's future structures.

With regard to relations with Russia, we recognized in Berlin that Moscow has an important role to play in the construction of the future European security architecture. We also made a commitment to develop with the Russian Federation a strong, stable and lasting partnership. In view of the 1997 summit, we must work out with Russia an agreement of substance.

We welcome the United States' proposal for an Atlantic Partnership Council, aimed at merging the North Atlantic Cooperation Council and the Partnership for Peace into a single forum.

Finally, concerning the Mediterranean, we believe that the experience acquired through Partnership for Peace will prove useful in consolidating the special dialogue already initiated by NATO with some countries of that region and for giving it substantive content. Italy intends to take an active role in the exercise that is being developed within the Alliance, the WEU, the OSCE, as well as in the framework of the Barcelona Process for a Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.

Mr. Secretary General,

We consider the issues I have referred to, to be of paramount importance to our security; all our efforts should now be concentrated on preparing the crucial 1997 summit, in order that the concept of a renewed NATO, the goal of each and every one of us, may become a reality.