    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [March 29, 2004]
    [Pages 475-477]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Ceremony Honoring Seven Nations on Their Accession to the
    North Atlantic Treaty Organization
    March 29, 2004

        Thank you all. Good afternoon, and welcome to the White House.
        Fifty-five years ago, the representatives of 12 nations gathered
    here in Washington to sign the North Atlantic Treaty, which established
    the most successful military alliance in history. Today we proudly
    welcome Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and
    Slovenia. We welcome them into the ranks of the North Atlantic Treaty
    Organization.
        When NATO was founded, the people of these seven nations were
    captives to an empire. They endured bitter tyranny. They struggled for
    independence. They earned their freedom through courage and
    perseverance, and today they stand with us as full and equal partners in
    this great Alliance.
        It has been my honor to host the Prime Ministers of
    each new
    NATO member in the Oval Office. I want to thank
    them for their friendship. I want to thank them for their leadership. I
    look forward to working with them to make the world more peaceful and
    more free. Welcome to America.
        I want
    to thank
    the foreign
    and defense
    ministers of
    the new NATO members who are with us
    today. I want to thank the Prime Ministers of Albania, Croatia, and
    Macedonia, who are with us today. Jaap de
    Hoop Scheffer is
    with us today, who is the Secretary General of NATO. Thank you for
    coming, Mr. Secretary General. I thank the Ambassadors of all the
    members of NATO, both old and new.
        I want to thank the Vice President,
    Secretary of State Powell, Secretary of
    Defense Rumsfeld, General Dick
    Myers, General Jones, members of my administration. I want to thank the Members
    of Congress who are with us today: Majority Leader Bill Frist of the United States Senate; Members of the Senate which
    voted unanimously in support of the admission of the new members that we
    welcome today. I want to thank the Members of the House of
    Representatives who have joined us today. I want to thank those who are
    here today whose vision years ago helped make this moment a reality. I
    want to thank other distinguished guests. Welcome.
        Today marks a great achievement for each of the nations joining our
    Alliance. All member nations of NATO must be free and democratic and
    fully committed to defending the principles of liberty. All member
    nations must be willing and able to contribute to the common defense of
    our Alliance. Our seven new members have built free institutions.
    They've increased their military capabilities in the span of a decade.
    They are stronger nations because of that remarkable effort, and the
    NATO Alliance is made stronger by their presence.
        Since NATO's founding, the assurance of mutual defense has been a
    safeguard for peace. As President Truman said, ``By this treaty, we are
    not only seeking to establish freedom from aggression and from the use
    of force in the North Atlantic community,

    [[Page 476]]

    but we are also actively striving to promote and preserve peace
    throughout the world.''
        Under NATO's banner, the nations of Europe put aside rivalries that
    had divided the Continent for centuries. NATO members stood watch on
    freedom's borders for two generations of the cold war. Because of NATO's
    vigilance, free people lifted the Iron Curtain and tore down the Berlin
    Wall and replaced dictators with democratic governments.
        In the aftermath of this victory, some questioned whether NATO could
    or should survive the end of the cold war. Then the Alliance proved its
    enduring worth by stopping ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and by ousting the
    armies of a tyrant in Kosovo. Some
    wondered whether NATO could adapt to the new threats of the 21st
    century. Those doubts were laid to rest on September the 12th, 2001,
    when NATO invoked for the first time in its history Article 5 of our
    Charter, which states that an attack against one NATO Ally is an attack
    against all.
        NATO's core mission remains the same, the defense of its members
    against any aggression. Today, our Alliance faces a new enemy, which has
    brought death to innocent people from New York to Madrid. Terrorists
    hate everything this Alliance stands for. They despise our freedom. They
    fear our unity. They seek to divide us. They will fail. We will not be
    divided. We will never bow to the violence of a few. We will never--we
    will face the mortal danger of terrorism, and we will overcome it
    together.
        The countries we welcome today were friends before they were Allies,
    and they were allies in action before becoming Allies by treaty. Today,
    all seven of these nations are helping to bring lasting freedom to
    Afghanistan and Iraq. Bulgaria provided refueling facilities during the
    early days of Operation Enduring Freedom and has deployed more than 400
    soldiers to Iraq. Military engineers from Estonia and Latvia are helping
    to clear explosive devices from Iraq. Forces from Lithuania and Slovakia
    are helping to secure Iraq. Romanian troops have sacrificed their lives
    fighting terrorists in Afghanistan. And troops from Slovenia are serving
    in the international force that is protecting the city of Kabul in
    Afghanistan.
        Forces from Albania and Croatia and Macedonia are also contributing
    in Afghanistan or Iraq, proving their mettle as they aspire to NATO
    membership. These three nations, joined together under the Adriatic
    Charter, are building strong democracies at home that can contribute to
    NATO efforts abroad. The United States supports these efforts. The door
    to NATO will remain open until the whole of Europe is united in freedom
    and in peace.
        As witness to some of the great crimes of the last century, our new
    members bring moral clarity to the purposes of our Alliance. They
    understand our cause in Afghanistan and in Iraq, because tyranny for
    them is still a fresh memory. These nations know that when great
    democracies fail to confront danger, far worse peril can follow. They
    know that aggression left unchecked can rob millions of their liberty
    and their lives. And so now, as members of NATO, they are stepping
    forward to secure the lives and freedom of others.
        The NATO Alliance now flies seven new flags and reaches from the Bay
    of Biscay to the Black Sea. And Europe, once the source of global
    conflict, is now a force for stability and peace. Our great
    transatlantic Alliance has met and overcome great dangers in the past,
    and our work in NATO is not done. In the past, many assumed that NATO
    represented a pledge that America would come to the aid of Europe.
    Today, by our words and by our actions, we know that NATO means much
    more. It is a solemn commitment that America and Europe are joined
    together to advance the cause of freedom and peace.
        NATO is acting to meet the challenges of our time. NATO forces are
    securing Afghanistan. NATO ships are patrolling the

    [[Page 477]]

    Mediterranean, and NATO is supporting the Polish-led division in Iraq.
    NATO is widening the circle of its friends by creating a new chapter in
    our relationship with Russia. NATO members are reaching out to the
    nations of the Middle East to strengthen our ability to fight terror and
    to provide for our common security. And we're discussing how we can
    support and increase the momentum of freedom in the greater Middle East.
        Our unity and our commitment to freedom carried us to victory in the
    cold war, and they showed us the way to victory in the war on terror.
    Together, Europe and America can lead peaceful nations against the
    dangers of our time. Europe and America can advance freedom and give
    hope and support to those who seek to lift the yoke of isolation and
    fear and oppression. That is the mission that history has set for NATO--
    this great and confident alliance of 26 nations--and we proudly accept
    this mission.
        May God bless you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 3:42 p.m. on the South Lawn at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-
    Gotha, Defense Minister Nikolai Svinarov, and Foreign Minister Solomon
    Pasi of Bulgaria; Prime Minister Juhan Parts, Defense Minister Margus
    Hanson, and Foreign Minister Kristiina Ojuland of Estonia; Prime
    Minister Indulis Emsis, Defense Minister Atis Slakteris, and Foreign
    Minister Rihards Piks of Latvia; Prime Minister Algirdas Mykolas
    Brazauskas, Defense Minister Linas Linkevicius, and Foreign Minister
    Antanas Valionis of Lithuania; Prime Minister Adrian Nastase, Defense
    Minister Ioan Mircea Pascu, and Foreign Minister Mircea Dan Geoana of
    Romania; Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda, Defense Minister Juraj Liska,
    and Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan of Slovakia; Prime Minister Anton Rop,
    Defense Minister Anton Grizold, and Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel of
    Slovenia; Prime Minister Fatos Nano of Albania; Prime Minister Ivo
    Sanader of Croatia; Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski of Macedonia; NATO
    Secretary General Jakob Gijsbert ``Jaap'' de Hoop Scheffer; Gen. James
    L. Jones, USMC, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe; and former
    President Slobodan Milosevic of the former Federal Republic of
    Yugoslavia.