NATO Update
Brussels
10 January 2004 10 YEARS OF PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE Ten years ago this month, NATO launched the Partnership for Peace, opening a new chapter in its relations with partner countries in Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. On 10 January 1994, at a meeting in Brussels, NATO Heads of State and Government invited the Alliance's partner countries at that time "to forge a real partnership - a Partnership for Peace." The Partnership for Peace is designed to encourage practical cooperation with individual partner countries. Each country is invited to draw up a ‘shopping list' of concrete activities - such as joint military exercises, defence conversion programmes and training - that it would like to engage in, choosing from different areas proposed by NATO. The basic aim is to stimulate and support domestic defence reform in partner countries and the creation of modern, effective and democratically responsible armed forces and other defence institutions. Furthermore, to help countries manage the social and material consequences of such reform. The programme has proven to be a vital instrument for bringing partner countries closer to the Alliance and, in the case of ten countries, three of which are NATO members today, paving the way for NATO membership. Today, there are 27 partner countries in the Partnership for Peace. Seven of these are in the final stages of becoming NATO members. "Therefore, as we greet this ten-year mark, we can look back at a record of success. The Euro-Atlantic Partnership has been a catalyst of domestic transformation and of international security co-operation on a historically unprecedented scale," said NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, opening his first meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, on 14 January, and referring to the occasion of the anniversary. A key aspect of the Partnership for Peace is building interoperability, meaning that forces from partner countries are trained to operate side by side with troops from NATO countries, allowing partner countries to contribute to NATO-led operations. In 2002, at the Prague Summit, NATO Heads of State and Government reaffirmed their commitment to NATO's partnerships. A number of reforms were introduced to make the Partnership for Peace more relevant to today's security environment. These are expected to be further strengthened at the upcoming NATO Summit in Istanbul later this year. (end press release) (begin de Hoop Scheffer text) NATO Speech: 14 January 2004
NATO HQ Brussels OPENING STATEMENT BY NATO SECRETARY GENERAL DE HOOP SCHEFFER AT THE EURO-ATLANTIC PARTNERSHIP COUNCIL AT AMBASSADORIAL LEVEL Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Before we turn to today's agenda and in the presence of the NATO Press Service, I would like to remind us that almost exactly 10 years ago, NATO leaders launched an "immediate and practical programme" that was to transform the relationship between NATO and its Partners across Europe and Central Asia. Today, we are celebrating 10 years of Partnership for Peace. It was adopted by Heads of State and Government of then 16 NATO countries meeting in Brussels, on 10 January 1994. This practical programme was to complement the political dialogue between NATO and Partners launched already in 1991 and conducted in the framework of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC), and then, since 1997, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC). As we look forward to the Istanbul Summit to further develop both EAPC and PfP, let me use this occasion to recall briefly why it is worth doing so. The practical focus of PfP was to be on preparing the military forces of Allies and Partners to work together seamlessly. Today, Allied and Partner soldiers serve shoulder-to-shoulder in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Afghanistan. Some Allies and Partners are putting their PfP experience into use in Iraq. But our Partnership has also forged a common purpose which goes far beyond military interoperability. It has helped develop political and institutional interoperability between Allies and Partners, building on common values. It has helped build an impressive Euro-Atlantic network of political leaders, diplomats, soldiers and civil servants who can speak the same language, work together, and solve problems together. In short, we have laid the foundations for a common, Euro-Atlantic security culture. Partnership has stimulated and supported defence reform in aspirant and many other Partner countries. It has helped many nations to build more modern, effective and democratically responsible armed forces and other defence institutions; it has also helped many nations manage the social and material consequences of such effort. Partnership has helped prepare 10 nations for the responsibilities of NATO membership. But it has also provided a unique instrument for countries who are not seeking membership to contribute to Euro-Atlantic security without compromising the principles of their foreign and security policies. More recently, and immediately following the shocking events of 11 September, 2001 Partnership provided the framework for the 46 participating nations to respond together to the threat of terrorism. Therefore, as we greet this ten-year mark, we can look back at a record of success. The Euro-Atlantic Partnership has been a catalyst of domestic transformation and of international security co-operation on a historically unprecedented scale. NATO has always been at the core of this endeavour. Partnership has also been moving towards the core of NATO's business. It has served Allies. It has served Partners. It has served democracy and peace. C'est pour moi un privilège de présider un nouveau chapitre de cette histoire, qui est l'histoire d'un succès. Je suis déterminé à contribuer à affiner, tout en lui donnant plus de substance, le cadre du nouveau Partenariat que nous avons construit au Sommet de Prague, en 2002. Ce cadre repose sur trois piliers : la réforme, le dialogue politique et l'interopérabilité. Aucune transformation démocratique n'est possible sans une réforme approfondie de la défense. Aussi, je suis persuadé que nous devons faire en sorte que l'OTAN fournisse aux Partenaires des conseils et une assistance plus efficaces pour la mise en place d'institutions de défense solides et répondant à l'exigence de transparence démocratique. Les Alliés doivent, en particulier, renforcer leur aide aux pays du Caucase et d'Asie centrale, deux régions dont nous avons reconnu l'importance stratégique. Pour aider ces pays et les autres Partenaires dans leur phase de transition, nous devons également renforcer notre dialogue politique avec eux. Je suis aussi persuadé qu'à mesure que le concept de sécurité et de défense évolue, il doit en aller de même en ce qui concerne la portée et l'accent des programmes de coopération au titre du Partenariat. Nous devons, en particulier, continuer de rapprocher l'ensemble des Alliés et des Partenaires dans la lutte contre les grands défis de notre temps -- le terrorisme et la prolifération des armes de destruction massive. Alors que nous continuons de faire face conjointement aux risques pesant sur notre sécurité commune, il faut donner aux Partenaires qui ont la volonté et la capacité de contribuer de façon significative aux efforts dirigés par l'OTAN des possibilités accrues d'agir dans ce sens. Nous devons aussi continuer de trouver les moyens de rapprocher ces Partenaires des structures et des processus décisionnels de l'OTAN. Si nous réussissons à réaliser tout cela, le Partenariat ne va pas seulement se rapprocher du coeur même des activités de l'OTAN; il en deviendra une partie intégrante. Nous avons de bonnes raisons d'être fiers de ce que nous avons accompli. Mais nous devons continuer d'en faire plus. J'ai bien l'intention d'œuvrer avec le Conseil et avec l'ensemble de la communauté du Partenariat afin d'y parvenir. |
