    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 17 (Monday, May 3, 1999)]
    [Pages 713-714]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    The Washington Declaration

    April 23, 1999

        1. We, the Heads of State and Government of the member countries of
    the North Atlantic Alliance, declare for a new century our mutual
    commitment to defend our people, our territory and our liberty, founded
    on democracy, human rights and the rule of law. The world has changed
    dramatically over the last half century, but our common values and
    security interests remain the same.
        2. At this anniversary summit, we affirm our determination to
    continue advancing these goals, building on the habits of trust and co-
    operation we have developed over fifty years. Collective defence remains
    the core purpose of NATO. We affirm our commitment to promote peace,
    stability and freedom.
        3. We pay tribute to the men and women who have served our Alliance
    and who have advanced the cause of freedom. To honour them and to build
    a better future, we will contribute to building a stronger and broader
    Euro-Atlantic community of democracies--a community where human rights
    and fundamental freedoms are upheld; where borders are increasingly open
    to people, ideas and commerce; where war becomes unthinkable.
        4. We reaffirm our faith, as stated in the North Atlantic Treaty, in
    the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and
    reiterate our desire to live in peace with all nations, and to settle
    any international dispute by peaceful means.
        5. We must be as effective in the future in dealing with new
    challenges as we were in the past. We are charting NATO's course as we
    enter the 21st century: an Alliance committed to collective defence,
    capable of addressing current and future risks to our security,
    strengthened by and open to new members, and working together with other

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    institutions, Partners and Mediterranean Dialogue countries in a
    mutually reinforcing way to enhance Euro-Atlantic security and
    stability.
        6. NATO embodies the vital partnership between Europe and North
    America. We welcome the further impetus that has been given to the
    strengthening of European defence capabilities to enable the European
    Allies to act more effectively together, thus reinforcing the
    transatlantic partnership.
        7. We remain determined to stand firm against those who violate
    human rights, wage war and conquer territory. We will maintain both the
    political solidarity and the military forces necessary to protect our
    nations and to meet the security challenges of the next century. We
    pledge to improve our defence capabilities to fulfill the full range of
    the Alliance's 21st century missions. We will continue to build
    confidence and security through arms control, disarmament and non-
    proliferation measures. We reiterate our condemnation of terrorism and
    our determination to protect ourselves against this scourge.
        8. Our Alliance remains open to all European democracies, regardless
    of geography, willing and able to meet the responsibilities of
    membership, and whose inclusion would enhance overall security and
    stability in Europe. NATO is an essential pillar of a wider community of
    shared values and shared responsibility. Working together, Allies and
    Partners, including Russia and Ukraine, are developing their cooperation
    and erasing the divisions imposed by the Cold War to help to build a
    Europe whole and free, where security and prosperity are shared and
    indivisible.
        9. Fifty years after NATO's creation, the destinies of North America
    and Europe remain inseparable. When we act together, we safeguard our
    freedom and security and enhance stability more effectively than any of
    us could alone. Now, and for the century about to begin, we declare as
    the fundamental objectives of this Alliance enduring peace, security and
    liberty for all people of Europe and North America.

    Note: The joint statement was signed and issued by the heads of state
    and government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic
    Council in Washington, DC, on April 23 and 24. It was made available by
    the Office of the Press Secretary but was not issued as a White House
    press release. An original was not available for verification of the
    content of this joint statement.