    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
    [April 25, 1999]
    [Pages 629-630]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Opening Session of the Summit of the Euro-Atlantic
    Partnership Council
    April 25, 1999

        Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary General. First of all, I would like to join you in welcoming
    all the members of our Partnership Council. From Central Asia to North
    America, from the Mediterranean to the Baltic, this Council and the
    Partnership for Peace are building a region of shared values and shared
    endeavors.
        Many nations in this room, indeed, are accepting risks and hardships
    to support the peace in southeastern Europe. To be sure, there are
    challenges to our common vision of a Europe undivided, democratic, and
    at peace: the challenge of overcoming instability and economic hardship
    in the Balkans; of defeating those who employ ethnic hatred in the
    service of power; the challenge of integrating a democratic Russia into
    the European mainstream; the challenge of averting a gulf between Europe
    and the Islamic world; the challenge of resolving tensions in the
    Aegean.
        We must see reducing conflict and tensions and increasing prosperity
    and integration as two sides of the same coin. Therefore, as we fight
    against ethnic hatred in Kosovo, we must fight for the rebuilding of
    southeastern Europe and the integration of the region into the larger
    European community.
        We must continue to strengthen the Partnership for Peace and deepen
    the role that our partner countries play in the planning and execution
    of the missions we undertake together. We must continue to build on our
    cooperation with Russia, with Ukraine, with all the members of this
    Council, to advance the interests and ideals we share.
        We must continue the enlargement of NATO, the Partnership for Peace,
    and the Partnership Council. All of these things, I am convinced, will
    make Europe stronger and freer and more stable. And I think that I can
    speak for my

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    friend Mr. Chretien when I say that those of
    us in North America strongly support it.
        As I said last night at our dinner, if you look around this room,
    the idea that all of us could be sitting here together around one table
    would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. We are here around
    this table together because we are thinking about our common future. And
    that is the best thing to say about this meeting today.

    Note: The President spoke at approximately 12:09 p.m. at the Mellon
    Auditorium. In his remarks, he referred to Secretary General Javier
    Solana of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; and Prime Minister
    Jean Chretien of Canada. The transcript released by the Office of the
    Press Secretary also included the remarks of Secretary General Solana.