[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 35 (Monday, March 3, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1465-S1466]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



  (At the request of Mr. Reid, the following statement was ordered to 
be printed in the Record.)

                              NATO SUMMIT

 Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, from April 2 to 4, 2008, leaders of 
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, will meet at a summit in 
Bucharest, Romania, to address issues critical to American national 
security and the future of the Euro-Atlantic community. NATO leaders 
must seize this opportunity to strengthen transatlantic ties, augment 
alliance members' contributions to common missions and continue to 
build the integrated, stable and prosperous Europe that is a vital 
interest of the United States.
  A top priority for the summit must be to reinforce NATO's critical 
mission in Afghanistan. The contributions there of all the NATO allies 
alongside more than a dozen other countries bears testimony to how the 
alliance can contribute to the 21st century missions that are vital to 
the security of the United States and its allies. NATO's involvement 
provides capabilities, legitimacy, and coordination in Afghanistan that 
simply would not be available if NATO did not exist.
  Success in Afghanistan is vital to the security of the United States, 
to all NATO members, and to the people of Afghanistan. NATO's leaders 
must therefore send an unambiguous message that every country in NATO 
will do whatever needs to be done to destroy terrorist networks in 
Afghanistan, to prevent the Taliban from returning to power, and to 
bring greater security and well-being to the Afghan people. This will 
require adequate numbers of capable military forces and civilian 
personnel from NATO members and putting more of an Afghan face on 
counter insurgency operations by providing more training and resources 
to the Afghan National Army and police forces, and by embedding more 
Afghan forces in NATO missions. We must also win long-term public 
support through assistance programs that make a difference in the lives 
of the Afghan people, including investments in infrastructure and 
education; the development of alternative livelihoods for poppy farmers 
to undermine the Taliban and other drug traffickers; and increased 
efforts to combat corruption through safeguards on assistance and 
support for the rule of law.
  Success in Afghanistan will also require the removal of restrictions 
that some allies have placed on their forces in Afghanistan, which 
hamper the flexibility of commanders on the ground. The mission in 
Afghanistan--legitimized by a United Nations mandate, supported by the 
Afghan people, and endorsed by all NATO members after the United States 
was attacked is central to NATO's future as a collective security 
organization. Afghanistan presents a test of whether NATO can carry out 
the crucial missions of the 21st century, and NATO must come together 
to meet that challenge. Now is the time for all NATO allies to recommit 
to this common purpose.
  The summit must also address the question of the alliance expanding 
membership. NATO enlargement since the end of the Cold War has helped 
the countries of Central and Eastern Europe become more stable and 
democratic. It has also added to NATO military capability by 
facilitating contributions from new members to critical missions such 
as Afghanistan.
  The three current candidates for NATO membership--Albania, Croatia 
and the Republic of Macedonia--have

[[Page S1466]]

each made great strides in consolidating their new democracies. They 
have reformed their defense establishments, worked to root out 
corruption, modernized their economies, and contributed to NATO 
security missions in the Balkans and Afghanistan. Responding to these 
efforts with NATO membership at the upcoming summit would add to the 
alliance military capabilities while contributing to stability in the 
Balkans, a region still suffering from the ethnic tensions left behind 
by the bloodshed of the 1990s.
  Ukraine and Georgia have also been developing their ties with NATO. 
Their leaders have declared their readiness to advance a NATO 
Membership Action Plan, MAP, to prepare for the rights and obligations 
of membership. They are working to consolidate democratic reforms and 
to undertake new responsibilities in their relationship with the 
Alliance. I welcome the desire and actions of these countries to seek 
closer ties with NATO and hope that NATO responds favorably to their 
request, consistent with its criteria for membership. Whether Ukraine 
and Georgia ultimately join NATO will be a decision for the members of 
the alliance and the citizens of those countries, after a period of 
open and democratic debate. But they should receive our help and 
encouragement as they continue to develop ties to Atlantic and European 
institutions.
  NATO enlargement is not directed against Russia. Russia has an 
important role to play in European and global affairs and should see 
NATO as a partner, not as a threat. But we should oppose any efforts by 
the Russian government to intimidate its neighbors or control their 
foreign policies. Russia cannot have a veto over which countries join 
the alliance. Since the end of the Cold War, Republican and Democratic 
administrations have supported the independence and sovereignty of all 
the states of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, and we must 
continue to do so. President Putin recent threat to point missiles at 
Ukraine is simply not the way to promote the peaceful 21st century 
Europe we seek.
  NATO stands as an example of how the United States can advance 
American national security--and the security of the world--through a 
strong alliance rooted in shared responsibility and shared values. NATO 
remains a vital asset in America's efforts to anchor democracy and 
stability in Europe and to defend our interests and values all over the 
world. The Bucharest summit provides an opportunity to advance these 
goals and to reinforce a vital alliance. NATO's leaders must seize that 
opportunity.

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