    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
    [March 14, 1998]
    [Pages 377-378]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Letter to Congressional Leaders on the Enlargement of the North Atlantic
    Treaty Organization
    March 14, 1998

    Dear Mr. Leader:
        The Senate will soon act on the proposed accession of Poland,
    Hungary, and the Czech Republic to the North Atlantic Treaty
    Organization. I want to thank you for the energetic and bipartisan
    leadership that you, Democratic Leader Daschle and many others have
    demonstrated on this historic initiative. The enlargement of NATO
    directly will benefit America's security, and I urge all members of the
    Senate to support its ratification.
        The addition of these countries to NATO is an essential part of our
    effort to consolidate the stability and security that resulted from the
    end of the Cold War. The Alliance's enlargement will make America safer
    by making NATO stronger, adding new forces and new allies that can share
    our security burdens. NATO's core mission will remain the collective
    defense of the territory of its members, and neither the addition of new
    members nor NATO's other adaptations to Europe's new security
    environment will change that.
        The accession of these three countries also will help make Europe
    more stable; already the prospect of membership has encouraged states
    throughout the region to accelerate reforms, resolve disputes, and
    improve cooperation. In addition, adding these states to NATO--combined
    with other efforts to reach out to all of the region's new democracies--
    will help to erase the Cold War dividing line and contribute to our
    strategic goal of building an undivided, democratic, and peaceful
    Europe.
        The addition of these states to NATO, which will yield tremendous
    benefits to our own security, is also affordable. After extensive review
    of this proposal by NATO, our Administration, and the Congress, we now
    have strong basis to believe that the costs to the U.S. will be about
    $400 million for the United States over the next ten years, and that the
    total costs will be equitably shared with our current and new allies.
        There are other steps we will need to take together in order to help
    ensure the security of the transatlantic area. We are moving ahead

    [[Page 378]]

    with efforts to increase cooperation with the Russian Federation and to
    build on the openings for constructive dialogue created by the NATO-
    Russia Founding Act. I am committed to continue efforts with Russia and
    other countries to reduce our nuclear stockpiles, combat the dangers of
    proliferation, and stabilize arms levels across Europe. We must continue
    working together to create the opportunity for a lasting peace in Bosnia
    and the Balkans. We will continue working with the European Union, which
    also is adding members, and which makes its own important contribution
    to Europe's stability.
        NATO is the cornerstone of our transatlantic security efforts,
    however, and the Alliance is proving its value--through the Partnership
    for Peace program and many other efforts--in projecting stability
    throughout Europe. For that same reason, we must leave the door open to
    the addition of other qualified new members in the future. The ``open
    door'' commitment made by all the allies has played a vital role in
    ensuring that the process of enlargement benefits the security of the
    entire region, not just these first three new members.
        At last summer's summit in Madrid, NATO agreed to examine the
    process of the Alliance's enlargement at our next summit. At this point,
    however, neither NATO nor my Administration has made any decisions or
    commitments about when the next invitations for membership should be
    extended, or to whom. I consulted broadly with Congress on decisions
    about admission of these first three countries, and I pledge the same
    pattern of consultation before any decisions on these matters in the
    future. In any case, any future addition of members will require the
    advice and consent of the Senate.
        For these reasons, I strongly urge the Senate to reject any effort
    to mandate a pause on the process of enlargement. Such a mandate is
    unnecessary and unwise, for it would reduce our own country's
    flexibility and leverage, fracture NATO's open door consensus, and draw
    a new and potentially destabilizing dividing line in Europe.
        I am gratified by the outstanding cooperation between our two
    branches of government, and between both parties, that has been a part
    of the ratification effort. I commend you for the creation of the
    Senate's NATO Observer Group, which has worked closely with the
    Administration in development of this policy, and I commend Senators
    Helms and Biden
    and the Foreign Relations Committee, as well as other committees, for
    their thorough examination of the complex questions involved in NATO's
    enlargement.
        That kind of bipartisan cooperation was indispensable to our
    successful efforts throughout the Cold War to sustain a strong Alliance,
    to defend our security, and to pursue the goal of freedom and democracy
    across Europe. In the same spirit, I hope the Senate will draw together
    on the question of NATO's enlargement. By doing so, the Senate can help
    signal America's continuing engagement in Europe, our commitment to a
    strong NATO Alliance, and our determination to build a foundation for
    transatlantic security into the next century.
        Sincerely,

                                                                Bill Clinton

    Note: This letter was sent to Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott. A
    similar letter with minor differences was sent to Senate Minority Leader
    Thomas A. Daschle. The letters were made available by the Office of the
    Press Secretary on March 16 but were not issued as White House press
    releases.