04 September 2001
Transcript: Lugar Supports Bulgaria NATO Membership
(Sept. 1: Republican Senator's remarks in Sofia) (660)
Senator Richard Lugar, Republican of Indiana, told an audience in
Sofia September 1 of his "enthusiasm for the inclusion of Bulgaria in
NATO," adding that Bulgaria must continue its military and defense
reforms aimed at meeting the criteria for NATO accession.
He said he believes the majority of U.S. Senators favor accession by
Bulgaria and the Baltic States, but noted that the Senate is strongly
divided politically, "so this will require diplomatic work on our
part."
Lugar is the senior Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee. He
was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican presidential
nomination in 1996.
Following are Senator Lugar's remarks:
(begin transcript)
SENATOR LUGAR'S REMARKS AT THE PRESIDENCY
Sofia, Bulgaria
September 1, 2001
Two years ago the President of Bulgaria expressed to me around the
same table that we met today idealism that Bulgarians have for Europe,
for the Balkans, for the coming together of ethnic groups, for peace
in this region. I have been inspired and encouraged by our meeting
this morning with the distinguished President of this Republic that
Bulgaria is an important nation. It's an important nation in Europe,
and that the United States participates in Europe principally through
NATO as we have for the past half century, and that it is important
that Europe be complete and free and the South Eastern part of Europe
-- which is represented so well by the leadership of Bulgaria -- be a
part of NATO structure. My hope is that the NATO enlargement next year
will be comprehensive and complete, following the thoughtful words of
my President George W. Bush when he talked about NATO "from the Baltic
to the Black Sea."
And I visited in the past two weeks each of the three Baltic countries
and Romania and Bulgaria to bring back to my colleagues the personal
witness of the performance, and idealism, and strength of conviction
of leaders in these countries. Through Plan 2004 Bulgaria is making
substantial military and defense reform, and the outcome of this as it
leads to membership in NATO will be collective defense, [through]
which the United States of America will come even closer in friendship
to Bulgaria and hopefully of Bulgaria to the United States of America.
I rejoice in that prospect of the economy, the jobs, the political
compatibility and likewise our mutual defense. Thank you Mr. President
for the meeting and for your personal courageous leadership.
QUESTION: Bulgarian Army weekly: Senator McCain said that the majority
of the U.S. Congress supports Bulgaria's membership in NATO. Do you
share his view? What is the proportion of pros and cons in terms of
NATO's enlargement to the East?
ANSWER: Senator McCain and I share enthusiasm for the inclusion of
Bulgaria in NATO. This we would always qualify by saying that Bulgaria
must continue its reforms, that it must meet the qualifications and
criteria, but we presume that the intent of Bulgarian statesmen is to
do that. We are optimistic that that will occur. I have no way of
predicting whether the majority of my colleagues are now in favor of
any particular nation or of NATO expansion. This is the reason why
Senator McCain and I have come to this country and to other countries
-- to begin the debate, to begin to interest our colleagues that there
is a big issue out there next year we must be thinking about, and we
must be working with other NATO allies to be in consensus.
My estimate is that a majority of American Senators do favor inclusion
of Bulgaria and the Baltic States. But at the same time we need a
two-thirds majority, a very strong bipartisan group at a time of a
very tough division in our politics in the United States Senate. So
this will require diplomatic work on our part, those of us who are in
favor of expansion as well as of Bulgarian inclusion.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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