[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: GEORGE W. BUSH (2001, Book I)]
[June 13, 2001]
[Pages 649-650]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at the Opening of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Meeting 
in Brussels, Belgium
June 13, 2001

    Mr. Secretary General, thank you very 
much. It's an honor for me to be here. It's an honor to say hello to 
folks who I've had the honor of meeting before, and it's a real pleasure 
to meet other leaders in the free world.
    Our nations established NATO to provide security for the free 
peoples of Europe and North America, to build a grand alliance of 
freedom to defend values which were won at great cost. We've succeeded, 
in part. The NATO Alliance deterred the Soviet Union. It provided the 
time and space for free peoples to defeat communism, and it brought the 
cold war to a bloodless end. Now, we have a great opportunity to build a 
Europe whole, free, and at peace, with this grand alliance of liberty at 
its very core.
    That work has begun. By bringing in new members, we extended 
security and stability through Central Europe. By establishing the 
Partnership for Peace, we reached out across Central and Eastern Europe 
and Eurasia. By our actions in the Balkans, we halted ethnic cleansing 
in the heart of Europe and halted a dictator in the process.
    Yet, there is more to do. We must strengthen our Alliance, modernize 
our forces, and prepare for new threats. We must expand cooperation with 
our partners,

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including Russia and the Ukraine. And we must extend our hands and open 
our hearts to new members to build security for all of Europe.
    Next year we meet in the ancient capital of a new democracy. Our 
Ally Prague will host our next summit in November of 2002. In 
preparation for that meeting, we must affirm our enduring commitments by 
preparing for the challenges of our time.
    Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

Note: The President spoke at 11:44 a.m. at NATO headquarters. In his 
remarks, he referred to NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson.