26 March 2003
Bush Sends Report on NATO Enlargement to Congress
(Text of letter accompanying updated report) (380)
Following is the text of a March 26 letter to the chairmen of several
House and Senate committees that accompanied President Bush's updated
report to Congress on NATO membership for Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia:
(begin text)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
March 26, 2003
TEXT OF A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT TO THE CHAIRMEN OF THE HOUSE AND
SENATE COMMITTEES ON APPROPRIATIONS AND ARMED SERVICES, THE HOUSE
COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, AND THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON
FOREIGN RELATIONS
March 25, 2003
Dear Mr. Chairman:
On August 26, 2002, I submitted a report "regarding each country being
actively considered for NATO membership." That report was prepared
pursuant to section 3(2)(E)(i) of the Resolution of Ratification to
the Protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949 on the Accession of
Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, adopted on April 30, 1998.
As you know, on November 22, 2002, I joined the other leaders of NATO
in inviting Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia,
and Slovenia to become members of NATO. I am firmly convinced that the
membership of these nations will advance the cause of freedom, and
make NATO stronger for the future.
Section 3(2)(E)(ii) of the 1998 Resolution of Ratification requires
classified and unclassified updates to the report submitted on August
26, 2002. As stated in that Resolution, "Prior to the signing of any
protocol to the North Atlantic Treaty on the accession of any country,
the President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees
a report, in classified and unclassified forms:
(I) updating the information contained in the report required under
clause (i) with respect to that country; and
(II) including an analysis of that country's ability to meet the full
range of the financial burdens of NATO membership, and the likely
impact upon the military effectiveness of NATO of the country invited
for accession talks, if the country were to be admitted to NATO."
I am hereby providing this updated report, as prepared by my
Administration. In doing so, I note with appreciation the continued
and strong bipartisan support that the Congress has shown on the issue
of NATO enlargement.
Sincerely,
GEORGE W. BUSH
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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