De Standaard 23 Dec. 1997

A Year of Living Successfully Op-Ed Article by NATO Secretary General, Javier Solana Let's face it: 1997 has been a great year for NATO. Those who predicted a few years ago that the Atlantic Alliance's days were numbered have had to think again. NATO Allies and Partners are together on the threshold of a new era in European security relations. Because, if 1997 has been a great year for NATO, it has been a great year for Europe. A year in which Europe has taken the key decisions that will shape its future - a future where cooperation is in the norm, not the exception. Reaching this threshold has required imagination, adaptation and effort among all institutions working in the area - starting with the Alliance itself. Its intense cooperative work aims to build an inclusive security system in which all countries of the Euro-Atlantic region can participate. Let me focus on six decisions in particular that NATO has taken this year. First, the process of opening NATO. Over the past eight years, NATO has developed with Partner nations new patterns of cooperative security. We are opening the doors of the Alliance to enable other European countries to work closely on a whole range of defence and military-related activities - most notably in improving our capacity to undertake together peacekeeping and crisis management operations. The Madrid Summit in July delivered on a promise Allied leaders made three years earlier - to open NATO to new members, thus setting the tone for the next century, when, instead of old divisions, the shared values of democracy, human rights, the rule of law would govern the relationship between Allies and other European nations. By signing the Protocols of Accession for the three invited states this week, NATO Foreign Ministers have initiated a new stage in our enlargement process, which will launch the ratification process in each Allied country. We are very much looking forward to welcoming the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland as full members of the Alliance at the NATO Summit which will take place in Washington in Spring 1999. During this autumn, many questions concerning the accession of these three countries have been answered. The three future members will make a positive contribution to Alliance security. They are working hard to transform their military establishments to be fully interoperable with NATO. They take their future responsibilities seriously. Moreover, the costs will be manageable for all concerned. At the same time, the door to NATO will remain open in the future members. We have reaffirmed this declaration of the Alliance leaders in Madrid that no country that is willing and able to meet the demanding standards of NATO membership will be excluded from consideration. All of Europe will benefit from the positive political and military reform stimulated in many European countries by the prospect of NATO membership. Second, in parallel with this opening process, we have established the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) and enhanced our Partnership for Peace programme. As a result our cooperation activities with 27 Partners nations gained fresh dynamism during 1997. The EAPC will serve in the years to come as the key body for Allies and Partners to engage in intensified political consultation, develop operational experience, and strengthen military-to-military cooperation. The intricate web of interaction that we have woven between 44 countries has provided the framework of cooperation and stability for the opening of NATO which otherwise could not have taken place. The EAPC is the clear expression of the Alliance's commitment to the principle that the security of all States in the Euro-Atlantic area is inseparately linked. Third, NATO-Russia relations. The signing if the NATO-Russia Founding Act at the Paris Summit last May was a key significance for the future of European security. It marked a fresh start for both Alliance and Russia, opening the way to a new relationship characterised by regular consultations and practical cooperation on a wide variety of security and military-related issues. The meeting of the NATO-Russia permanent Joint Council last Wednesday capped a very rich and extensive NATO-Russia programme of activities this year. Our Work Programme for 1998 will cover areas such as peacekeeping, arms control, efforts against proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, exchanges on nuclear weapons safety and security, defence conversion, civil emergency planning and disaster relief - just to give an example. Fourth, a distinct relationship has also been established with Ukraine. This week at NATO Headquarters we held the first Ministerial meeting of the NATO/Ukraine Commission. We have agreed an ambitious work programme for 1998. Our developing relationship with Ukraine reflects NATO's commitment to an independent, secure and prosperous Ukraine as key element in a stable Europe. Fifth, NATO's internal reform. A major achievement of 1997 was the agreement on NATO's new command structure. I am particularly pleased that Spain has decided to participate fully in this structure. Another major achievement has been the agreement on the NATO command arrangements for the Eastern Mediterranean which had been stalled for nearly four decades. As far as France is concerned, the Alliance respects its position and welcomes its constructive attitude towards the whole process of internal adaptation. Once in place, the new command structure will enable the Alliance to perform the whole range of its roles and missions more effectively and flexibly. It will also provide for participation of Partner countries and facilitate the integration of our future new members. The new command structure will allow for European-led coalitions for crisis management. For example, the Western European Union (WEU), supported by NATO, could become active in those cases where a European response is seen as more appropriate. Thus, the creation of a European Security and Defence Identity within NATO is becoming reality. Finally, Bosnia. This year saw the transition to the Stabilisation Force (SFOR) in Bosnia. It is NATO's leadership of this 36-nation strong contingent that has made all the difference in achieving the military objectives set out in the Dayton Peace Accords. Last week, the Peace Implementation Council in Bonn adopted a new set of toughened measures to move forward the peace process in Bosnia. Admittedly, progress has been disappointing in some areas, due to continued recalcitrance and obstructionism by the authorities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska. But the pressure exerted by the international community to see the Dayton Accords fully implemented is intensifying. This sustained determination will pay off. Progress has been visible: the hardliners are losing ground to the forces of pluralism. Refugees are returning. Municipal elections have been carried out peacefully and according to rigorous rules. And those entities that cooperate with the international community are receiving the economic assistance that is enabling growth and a more prosperous future. Slowly but measurably, the stakes in building peace are more attractive than the stakes in waging war. There can be no lasting peace without justice. The International Community must ensure that all indicted was criminals are brought before the International Tribunal in The Hague before it ends its mission in Bosnia. War criminals are on notice that sooner or later they will have to face justice. We have a long-term interest in continued stability in Bosnia and its surrounding area. And this can only be achieved with the full implementation of the Dayton Agreement. Consequently, NATO's Foreign Ministers this week gave our military authorities guidance to develop a range of options for a possible future NATO-led military force following the end of SFOR's mandate. Although we will only be taking decisions early next year, one thing is clear now: our investment in the peace process will not be squandered. This is the message that I will be taking to the leaders of Bosnia Herzegovina when I visit Banja Luka and Sarajevo today. Future historians will recognise 1997 as a turning point in overcoming the old divisions of Europe. It is a year in which the contours of a new European security architecture have emerged with greater clarity. We are not just at the threshold of a new era. We are entering it with confidence and optimism. NATO has never been more active, nor more productive. It is the right moment to commemorate a year of living successfully. Brussels, 17 December 1997.