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NATO Head Calls for Expansion of Strategic Partnerships

06 February 2006

De Hoop Scheffer says progress on transformation will continue

Washington -- NATO must engage in broader political dialogue, expand its strategic partnerships and reform its funding mechanisms, says its secretary-general, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

“In this new world, solidarity is the key,” he said. “Political, military and financial solidarity.”

De Hoop Scheffer, speaking at the Munich (Germany) Conference on Security Policy February 4, called on trans-Atlantic allies to bring more issues to the alliance for discussion, naming energy security as one topic for consultations.

In addition, he said, NATO should build closer links with democratic nations outside of Europe, such as Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan.

He described NATO’s partnership nations  -- “from Austria to Finland and from Armenia to Kazakhstan” – as strategic assets.  “We need to ensure that we have the closest possible partnership with those countries that can, and are willing to, help defend our shared values,” he said.

The secretary-general also said the door to NATO membership must be kept open for aspiring countries that undertake the reforms asked of them.  Further expansion of the organization from its current 26 members is expected at NATO’s upcoming summit in Riga, Latvia, in November.

Further, de Hoop Scheffer said the alliance must build a strategic partnership with the European Union.  He said that 19 countries belong to both NATO and the EU and that both organizations share common strategic interests and missions. “We are duplicating each other’s efforts,” he said. 

He asked for member nations to “put pragmatism above dogmatism” and view NATO as a major security participant in “a strong and vibrant European Union.”

De Hoop Scheffer said that solidarity also must be exhibited in the fair sharing of operational costs -- such as the deployment of NATO’s Response Force, which was sent to provide immediate aid to the victims of Pakistan’s earthquake -- and in common funding for collective capabilities. 

In a few weeks, NATO will use its airborne warning and control systems to help protect the Winter Olympic Games in Italy from terrorist threats and will do the same for the World Cup in Germany this summer.  “I believe this is a good example of our potential if we do more together, “ he said.

He said the alliance also should have its own air-to-ground surveillance and commonly operated airlift capabilities.  “And we need to make progress on joint logistics,” de hoop Scheffer said, “because it is a waste of time and effort to have 10 supply chains for 10 national contingents in the same NATO operation.”

The secretary-general said he expected progress to be made in all these areas by the Riga summit.

The text of his remarks is available on the NATO Web site.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)