[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

[[Page 630]]

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.