28 March 2003
NATO Invitees Ready to Help Defend Alliance, State Department Says
(Statement of Deputy Assistant Secretary Bradtke to Senate committee)
(3920)
The seven countries that were invited to join NATO at the Prague
Summit in November 2002 "have made an enduring commitment to the core
values of NATO and ... each is ready, both politically and militarily,
to contribute to the defense of the NATO Alliance," the State
Department's Robert Bradtke told the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee March 27.
The seven invitees are Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania,
Slovakia and Slovenia.
Bradtke, a deputy assistant secretary of State for European and
Eurasian Affairs, said that some issues such as defense reform,
protection of classified information, "gray" arms sales,
anti-corruption measures and ensuring minority rights "will continue
to need the close attention of the leaders of the seven invited
countries."
"Based on the extensive dialogue that we have had with these
countries," he added, "we are convinced of their willingness to
continue their reform efforts. As the leaders of seven countries have
told us, they are continuing reforms not just to impress us in the
hope of joining NATO, but because these reforms are in their own
long-term interest."
Bradtke described the U.S. role in helping the invitees prepare to
join NATO through the alliance's Membership Action Plan (MAP). He also
outlined each country's current contributions to NATO, primarily to
its peacekeeping operations in the Balkans and Afghanistan, as well as
their support for the coalition to disarm Iraq.
Following is a text of his statement as provided to the Senate
committee:
(http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/BradtkeTestimony030327.pdf)
(begin text)
Robert Bradtke
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
TESTIMONY BEFORE THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE ON NATO
ENLARGEMENT
March 27, 2003
Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee, I want to thank you for giving
me and my colleagues the opportunity to testify before you on the
enlargement of NATO and the qualifications and the contributions of
the seven countries invited to join NATO at the Prague Summit last
November.
At the outset, I would also like to thank Chairman Lugar and the
members of the committee for your leadership on this issue. Your
support and encouragement, but also the tough questions that you have
asked, have pushed us to look closely at our approach on enlargement,
and to refine and to strengthen our arguments. I also want thank
Senator Biden for his leadership as Chairman last year when much
important work was being done. We have greatly appreciated the close
cooperation that we have had from the Committee and its staff over the
past two years.
Here before you today, is the core of the inter-agency team, from the
State Department and the Defense Department, that has worked for the
better part of two years on the enlargement issue. It was our job to
ensure that our Principals had the information they needed to advise
the President, who made the ultimate decision on which candidates to
support for membership.
I would like to assure the Committee that my colleagues and I took our
responsibilities very seriously. There is no more important commitment
that one country can make to another than to pledge that its citizens
are prepared to fight and -if necessary -to die for the other. And
when a country is invited to join NATO that is what we are deciding.
NATO is not a club; it is a collective defense organization in which
its members commit themselves, under Article 5 of the Washington
Treaty, to considering an attack on one as an attack against all.
So, the standards for membership must be high, but NATO leaders have
wisely recognized that there is no single set of criteria, no simple
checklist that determines whether a country is qualified for
membership. NATO needs to be able to accommodate members as diverse as
the United States and Luxembourg or Turkey and Iceland.
As a result, Article 10 of the Washington Treaty states only that:
"The Parties may, by unanimous agreement, invite any other European
State in a position to further the principles of the Treaty and to
contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area to accede to
this Treaty." When Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic formally
joined the Alliance in 1999, NATO's leaders reflected on their
experience and recognized that preparing for NATO membership was a
difficult task. They decided to create a tool to help aspirant
countries to understand what was expected of NATO members and to
prepare themselves for membership. They set up the Membership Action
Plan or MAP.
In establishing the MAP, NATO's leaders stated specifically that the
MAP "cannot be considered as a list of criteria for membership."
Instead, MAP is a tool to help countries prepare themselves. Each
fall, under the MAP, the aspirant countries developed an Annual
National Program (ANP) to set objectives and targets for reform. These
reforms were focused on five key areas: political and economic
development; defense and military issues; budgets; security of
sensitive information; and legal issues. NATO reviewed the Annual
National Programs, and each Ally provided comment and feedback. In the
spring, each aspirant met with the North Atlantic Council in a
"19-plus-1" format to review its progress in achieving its reform
goals.
The MAP process has given us a strong basis by which to measure the
readiness for NATO membership of the seven countries that were invited
at Prague. But, given the importance to the United States of NATO and
the Article 5 commitment, the Administration has carried out
additional steps to evaluate each country and to encourage the hard
work of reform.
In February of last year, Ambassador Burns led a team, including a
number of us on this panel, which visited all of the aspirant
countries. We met with Presidents, Prime Ministers, Ministers of
Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Justice, as well as with military
officers and parliamentarians. We warned our interlocutors that
joining NATO was an intrusive process, that as allies we would need to
know everything about each other. We asked difficult questions about
corruption, about property restitution and historical issues, about
the treatment of minorities, about gray arms sales, and defense
spending. We urged the leaders to adopt specific programs of reforms.
Later in 2002, in July we met again with all the leaders of all the
aspirant countries in Riga on the margins of the "Vilnius-10" Summit.
During the summer, we also conducted what we called a "mid-term
review" of reform implementation with each of the embassies of the
aspirant countries here in Washington. Finally, in October, another
team led by Ambassador Burns, again including myself and others on
this panel, returned to all of the aspirant countries to evaluate
their progress. We met with every Prime Minister and with nearly every
President, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Defense. We
again asked difficult questions and sought assurances that their
reform processes would continue well beyond the Prague Summit, if an
invitation to join NATO would be forthcoming.
As I said at the beginning of my testimony, we have taken our
responsibility seriously. We have held literally hundreds of meetings
and traveled thousands of miles to learn as much as we could about the
aspirant countries and to encourage their preparations to join NATO.
By issuing the invitation at Prague to Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia to join the Alliance,
President Bush and his fellow NATO heads of state signaled their
belief that these intensive, hands-on efforts to promote and encourage
reform had been an outstanding success.
Mr. Chairman, nothing has happened since Prague that should cause us
to question their judgment. The evidence clearly shows that all seven
invitees have made an enduring commitment to the core values of NATO
and that each is ready, both politically and militarily, to contribute
to the defense of the NATO Alliance.
- All seven are already acting as de facto allies by providing
overflight and basing rights and by providing troops to peacekeeping
operations in the Balkans and Afghanistan, or by having liaison
officers with CENTCOM in Tampa.
- As Senator Voinovich will recall from his participation at the
Prague Summit, all of the invitees, acting through the "Vilnius-10"
group, offered their political support to the U. S. on Iraq on
November 21. They reiterated this support in February in another V-10
statement which endorsed the U. S. position that Saddam had to comply
with UNSCR 1441 fully and immediately or face the military
consequences.
- All of the invitees have committed to spending at least two percent
of GDP on defense and should be able to make real contributions to
NATO's defense. When these seven countries join the Alliance, they
will bring with them 200,000 troops and important specialized
capabilities, which will be further developed in accordance with the
Prague Summit Capabilities Commitment.
- All have taken steps to improve their political, economic, legal,
and military systems to overcome the burdens and problems inherited
from decades of Communist misrule. All are parliamentary democracies
with free and fair elections, open market economies, and respect for
the principles of free speech and a free press.
- All have taken steps to improve governance by bolstering judicial
independence and adopting anti-corruption measures. All have improved
their protection of human rights, including minority rights and civil
liberties. All have taken steps to restitute property and to deal with
complex and difficult issues from the past.
While each of the seven countries invited at the Prague Summit share
these broad accomplishments, I would like to comment briefly on the
particular contributions and steps that each invitee has made to
qualify for NATO membership. I would note that the President's Report
to Congress on NATO enlargement, submitted earlier this week, contains
a more detailed analysis of each country.
Bulgaria - All segments of Bulgarian political opinion strongly
support NATO membership (including all four parties represented in
Parliament). Bulgaria has also given strong support for the
disarmament of Iraq. On November 7, the National Assembly approved the
Government's decision to support coalition action against Iraq.
Bulgarian support includes: over-flight rights and the transit of U.
S. and coalition forces; basing for up to 18 U. S. aircraft at
Sarafovo Airport near Burgas; and the deployment of Bulgarian NBC
units (up to 150 personnel) to the theater of operations. Bulgaria was
an important partner of the United States in dealing with Iraq in the
United Nations Security Council. Bulgaria also contributed to
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), including hosting a deployment of
six US KC-135 transport aircraft and 200 support personnel at Burgas,
the first stationing of foreign forces in Bulgaria since WWII.
Bulgaria has also provided personnel for SFOR and KFOR and donated
arms and ammunition to the Afghan National Army. The Government has
agreed on a minimum level of defense expenditures as a proportion of
GDP, projected at higher than 2.8% in 2003 and 2004.
Since the fall of Communism, Bulgaria has clearly demonstrated the
sustainability of its commitment to democracy by holding free and fair
elections and the peaceful transfer of power. Basic civil liberties
are guaranteed by the Constitution. Bulgarians pride themselves on
tolerance, and no extremist group enjoys significant support, either
inside or outside the political system. Bulgaria has made material
progress on the return of private and communal property.
Macro-economically, Bulgaria remains committed to the path of reforms
laid out by the IMF and EU, even in the face of growing public
dissatisfaction with low living standards.
Estonia - The Prime Minister stated publicly on March 18 that Estonia
is ready to contribute to post-conflict operations in Iraq. Possible
contributions include a light point defense platoon, an explosive
ordinance demolition team, and cargo handlers. In the Balkans, 100
Estonian personnel are currently on a six-month rotation as part of
KFOR. Estonia also has deployed a 21-man military police contingent
with the Italian Multinational Support Unit in KFOR. Estonia has
deployed two explosive detection dog teams to Afghanistan to assist
with airport security, and offered overflight and landing rights in
support of OEF. It has also deployed an explosive ordnance destruction
(EOD) team with ISAF.
Estonia is a fully functioning democracy with a successful
market-oriented economy (GDP grew by an estimated 5.7% in 2002). The
Government has committed to spending at least 2% of GDP annually on
defense. Estonia is working actively to integrate its Russian-speaking
minority by eliminating language requirements for electoral candidates
and promoting naturalization. Estonia is also taking concrete steps to
deal with the past, completing its restitution process entirely and
emphasizing the work of its independent Historical Commission. In
January, Estonia observed its first national Day of Remembrance of the
Holocaust.
Latvia - The Latvian parliament passed a bill March 19 allowing
Latvian troops to take part in operations in Iraq. The bill authorizes
the Government to send units of its Armed Forces to Iraq on operations
"under the military command of the armed forces of the international
coalition." Latvia has already deployed eight military medical
personnel to ISAF, and participates in a six-month rotation every 18
months of some 100 personnel as part of KFOR (previously in SFOR). It
also maintains a medical and military police team with the British and
an EOD team with the Netherlands in KFOR. The government is committed
to spending a minimum of 2% of GDP on defense through 2008.
Latvia has also undertaken significant political and economic reforms.
Following parliamentary elections in October, 2002, a new government
was formed headed by Prime Minister Einars Repse that has demonstrated
a firm commitment to combating corruption. A newly created
Anti-Corruption Bureau is working to investigate and prosecute
corruption allegations within government. In addition, the new
government has accelerated efforts to integrate Latvia's minorities.
Since 1995, 58,145 persons have become naturalized citizens. The
Government has taken steps, such as reducing fees, to ease the
naturalization process. The property restitution process in Latvia,
which is nearly complete, is also a great success story. The
Government promotes Holocaust education and public awareness, and
commemorates Holocaust Remembrance Day on July 4.
Lithuania - On March 17, Lithuania reaffirmed the "Vilnius-l0" group
statement on Iraq of February 5, 2002. Lithuania's Parliament passed
legislation on March 24 authorizing the Government to send logistical
and military medical support to a possible effort in Iraq, as well as
humanitarian aid. 37 Special Forces soldiers support OEF; four
military physicians deployed with a Czech unit in ISAF in 2002 and
will report to Afghanistan in May. Airspace and airfields in support
of OEF are on standing offer. Contributions in the Balkans include a
six-month rotation every 18 months of 100 personnel with the Danish
contingent in KFOR (previously in SFOR) and a platoon of about 30
servicemen with the Polish-Ukrainian contingent in KFOR. The
Government is committed to spending a minimum of 2% of GDP on defense.
The Government has taken steps to strengthen its legal and
institutional framework for combating corruption. It has successfully
cracked down on corruption by customs and tax inspectors. We have seen
a genuine and exemplary commitment to address the injustices of the
past. The Government has returned hundreds of religious scrolls to
Jewish community groups, instituted a Holocaust education program,
announced plans to restore parts of the Jewish Quarter in Vilnius' Old
Town, and consistently been one of the most active members of the
15-country International Task Force on Holocaust Education. A joint
Government-Jewish community committee is working on an amendment to
the property restitution law to allow communal property restitution.
Romania has demonstrated its readiness to contribute to NATO. Public
support for NATO membership is about 80%, the highest of any invitee
country. Romania is a staunch supporter of the war on terrorism and
the effort to disarm Iraq. Romania granted blanket overflight, basing
and transit rights to coalition forces for operations in both
Afghanistan and Iraq. The Black Sea port of Constanta and Mihail
Kogalniceanu airbase have accommodated U. S. troops en route to the
Persian Gulf. Romania also has offered to deploy a 75-man nuclear,
biological and chemical weapon response unit to support Iraq
operations. Romania has provided robust support of OEF, self-deploying
a 400-man infantry battalion to Kandahar, Afghanistan, and providing a
military police platoon to the ISAF mission in Kabul. The Romanian
defense budget is linked to GDP forecasts and will be based on the
Government's commitment to ensure a minimum level of defense
expenditures, representing 2.38% of GDP in the years 2003 to 2005.
The Romanian government continues efforts to strengthen democratic
foundations, improve living standards, and create a society based on
respect for the rule of law. Romania has a free press, five major
political parties, and an established record of consistently free and
fair elections. To further strengthen democracy and improve
transparency, the Government has drafted legislation to compel the
disclosure of public figures' assets, limit their ability to influence
business decisions, make political party financing more transparent,
and increase the openness of the government decision-making process.
While Romania still has much to do in the matter of restitution, it
has now drafted and passed publicly available laws to replace the
former ad hoc decrees and is adjudicating thousands of claims.
Economic growth resumed in 2000 after a three-year recession, with
increases in GDP growth of 5.3% in 2001 and 4.5% in 2002. Decreases in
unemployment and inflation represent encouraging developments.
Slovakia has also demonstrated its readiness and commitment to
supporting U. S. national security interests by contributing to the
global war on terrorism, operations in the Balkans/ Afghanistan, and
in Iraq. Contributions include sending 100 soldiers to Kosovo, an
engineering unit to Kabul, and on February 26 a 75 person Nuclear,
Biological and Chemical weapons unit to Kuwait. Slovak military reform
is on course. Parliament is committed to joining NATO and has
earmarked 2% of its budget for defense spending.
In September, Prime Minister Dzurinda's government was re-elected,
firmly cementing Slovakia's democratic reforms. Former authoritarian
Prime Minister Meciar's party HZDS has all but collapsed. Although
economic reforms have been painful, with unemployment currently at
around 18%, the Slovaks nonetheless have moved forward with
privatization and financial reform, and their efforts are beginning to
bear fruit. Slovakia has engaged actively with its Jewish community
and with U. S. NGO's to settle outstanding restitution claims. The
OECD has projected a 4% economic growth rate, the highest in the
region, for FY 2003.
Slovenia - In addition to offering facilities, overflight permission,
and intelligence support to the War Against Terrorism, Slovenia
provided demining and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, donated
arms and ammunition to the Afghan National Army Training Program, and
will help train Afghan police. Slovenia also deployed a motorized
infantry company to Bosnia in January 2003, adding to troops and
equipment already sent to SFOR and KFOR. Slovenia shows good progress
in increasing interoperability and reforming its military, emphasizing
deployable and sustainable reaction forces. It will end conscription
next year and plans to have a fully professional force by 2008.
Defense spending is rising steadily; the Government has committed to
spending two percent of GDP by 2008.
Slovenia has a stable, multi-party, democratic political system,
characterized by regular elections, a free press, an independent
judiciary, and an excellent human rights record. Slovenia has a free
market economy, an impressive record of sustained, broad-based growth,
and a per capita GDP approaching 72% of the EU average. There is
near-uniform support in Parliament for NATO membership, and 66% of
participants in a referendum on March 23 voted in favor of joining
NATO.
Mr. Chairman, the record of contributions and accomplishments by the
seven countries is impressive. But just as no current member is
perfect, problems do remain in the invitee countries. Issues such as
corruption, gray arms sales, treatment of minorities, protection of
classified information, and defense reform will continue to need the
close attention of the leaders of the seven invited countries. Based
on the extensive dialogue that we have had with these countries, we
are convinced of their willingness to continue their reform efforts.
As the leaders of seven countries have told us, they are continuing
reforms not just to impress us in the hope of joining NATO, but
because these reforms are in their own long-term interest.
This permanent commitment to reform was reaffirmed yesterday, when the
Permanent Representatives of the nineteen NATO Allies signed the
Accession Protocols for the new invitees at NATO headquarters. Each of
the Foreign Ministers from the invitee countries submitted a reform
timetable for their country at the time the Protocols were signed.
These reform timetables are very detailed lists of further political,
economic, military, resource, security and legal reforms that each
country commits itself to. Each invitee designed its own timetable, in
consultation with Allies.
We and our NATO allies will ensure that they live up to these
commitments. We will also help them to do so. They will need our
continued moral support and technical assistance. The systematic and
formal review process that NATO provides will allow them to make
further progress along the reform path while simultaneously increasing
their contributions to Alliance security and values.
Mr. Chairman, one might well ask why the Administration is asking the
Senate, during a period of such dramatic events in Iraq, to take the
time now to consider the issue of NATO enlargement and give its
approval to bringing Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia,
Latvia, and Lithuania into NATO. Part of the answer lies in the
leadership that the United States, in the last two Administrations,
has shown on NATO enlargement. Expeditious action by the Senate will
demonstrate to our current Allies and our new Allies our commitment to
a larger, stronger, more capable NATO, even during period of
transatlantic differences. It will show our commitment to the vision
of a Europe, whole, free, and at peace, that President Bush put
forward in his speech in Warsaw in June 2002.
But there is another reason, Mr. Chairman. Perhaps nothing captures it
better than a story about the head of the Iraqi embassy in Bulgaria.
Earlier this month, as the U. S. began to move its forces to the
Bulgarian airfield of Burgas, the Iraqi diplomat traveled there.
Standing outside the airbase, the Iraqi told a group of reporters that
if the United States took military action in Iraq, then Bulgaria and
the base at Burgas would be a target for Iraqi military strikes. When
the Bulgarian Minister of Defense was asked whether he was concerned
about this threat, he responded: "This is the normal statement of an
ambassador from a terrorist state." And the Minister added, "He will
not be an ambassador when the regime in Iraq is changed."
In the willingness of the seven invitee countries to stand with us
against such threats, in all that they are doing already to enhance
our collective security, in all that they have done to rid themselves
of their totalitarian past, they have shown their abiding faith in us
and their faith in our promise to open NATO's door to them. We now
need to keep faith with them. We need to recognize them as true
Allies.
Mr. Chairman, members of the Committee, thank you very much for
permitting us this time. My colleagues and I would be happy to hear
your questions and concerns.
(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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