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Mr. Chairman, Dear colleagues,
Let me express my gratitude for having this opportunity to be here and address some of the issues relating to the development of our joint endeavours, Partnership for Peace.
This programme has developed significantly over the last few years, and plays a crucial role in tying together Partner and NATO nations. It welds the links - official, practical and personal - among all the countries at this table. And it is essential that we make the most out of what this Partnership can offer.
The concept of PfP Staff elements (PSE) in NATO headquarters is a central element in the recent enhancement of PfP. It is a development that gives new quality to our cooperation. This concept, being embedded in the new, reformed command structure of the Alliance, will affect both present and future NATO members. It will also affect those that do not want to join the Alliance. This is why we would like to see that the opportunities offered by this concept be exploited to the full. Our qualified officers are presently selected with a view to bidding for positions in PSEs in early 1998.
We were glad to learn that PSEs will be established in 1998 in the headquarters of the first two levels of NATO's command structure. We think that this is a good start, and that the decision to do the same at the third level should follow as soon as possible. The planning of PfP activities at sub-regional headquarters is the way to strengthen NATO's role in the region and enhance practical regional cooperation. This is another objective of the enhanced programme that we share. Sub-regional HQs will be better suited for the involvement of our junior officers. This involvement will in turn be of use in building up of our armed forces in the future.
The development of a more operational and practical role for PfP is directly linked to increased regional cooperation within the Programme, and also linked to Partner participation in PSEs. The operational role that PfP can play, as we have seen in the case of IFOR/SFOR, is very likely to be about peace support rather than just peacekeeping. We take this into account in the planning for our units that may be involved in peace operations. In fact, the Bosnian experience has shown, what we need to be ready for and what we need to jointly prepare for. And it is only natural for Partners to be fully involved in the decision making and planning related to this preparation.
I would also like to congratulate the Alliance on the decisions made by Defence Ministers yesterday. The repeated commitment to enlargement by reference to the Madrid Declaration was particularly welcome to Latvia.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.