    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 17 (Monday, May 3, 1999)]
    [Pages 718-728]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Washington Summit Communique

    April 24, 1999

    An Alliance for the 21st Century

        1. We, the Heads of State and Government of the member countries of
    the North Atlantic Alliance, have gathered in Washington to celebrate
    the 50th anniversary of NATO and to set forth our vision of the Alliance
    of the 21st century. The North Atlantic Alliance, founded on the
    principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law, remains
    the basis of our collective defence; it embodies the transatlantic link
    that binds North America and Europe in a unique defence and security
    partnership.
        2. Fifty years ago, the North Atlantic Alliance was founded in
    troubled and uncertain times. It has withstood the test of five decades
    and allowed the citizens of Allied countries to enjoy an unprecedented
    period of peace, freedom and prosperity. Here in Washington, we have
    paid tribute to the achievements of the past and we have shaped a new
    Alliance to meet the challenges of the future. This new Alliance will be
    larger, more capable and more flexible, committed to collective defence
    and able to undertake new missions including contributing to effective
    conflict prevention and engaging actively in crisis management,
    including crisis response operations. The Alliance will work with other
    nations and organizations to advance security, prosperity and democracy
    throughout the Euro-Atlantic region. The presence today of three new
    Allies--the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland--demonstrates that we
    have overcome the division of Europe.
        3. The Alliance takes the opportunity of this 50th anniversary to
    recognise and express its heartfelt appreciation for the commitment,
    sacrifice, resolve and loyalty of the servicemen and women of all Allies
    to the cause of freedom. The Alliance salutes these active and reserve
    forces' essential contributions, which for 50 years have guaranteed
    freedom and safeguarded trans-Atlantic security. Our nations and our
    Alliance are in their debt and offer them profound thanks.
        4. The NATO of the 21st century starts today--a NATO which retains
    the strengths of the past and has new missions, new members and new
    partnerships. To this end, we have:
        approved an updated Strategic Concept;
        reaffirmed our commitment to the enlargement process of the Alliance
          and approved a Membership Action Plan for countries wishing to
          join;
        completed the work on key elements of the Berlin Decisions on
          building the European Security and Defence Identity within the
          Alliance and decided to further enhance its effectiveness;
        launched the Defence Capabilities Initiative;

    [[Page 719]]

        intensified our relations with Partners through an enhanced and more
          operational Partnership for Peace and strengthened our
          consultations and co-operation within the Euro-Atlantic
          Partnership Council;
        enhanced the Mediterranean Dialogue; and
        decided to increase Alliance efforts against weapons of mass
          destruction and their means of delivery.
        5. As part of the Alliance's adaptation to the new security
    challenges, we have updated our Strategic Concept to make it fully
    consistent with the Alliance's new security environment. The updated
    Concept reaffirms our commitment to collective defence and the
    transatlantic link; takes account of the challenges the Alliance now
    faces; presents an Alliance ready and with a full range of capabilities
    to enhance the security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic area;
    reaffirms our commitment to building the ESDI within the Alliance;
    highlights the enhanced role of partnership and dialogue; underlines the
    need to develop defence capabilities to their full potential to meet the
    spectrum of Alliance missions, including forces which are more
    deployable, sustainable, survivable and able to engage effectively; and
    provides guidance to the NATO Military Authorities to this end.
        6. To achieve its essential purpose, as an Alliance of nations
    committed to the Washington Treaty and the United Nations Charter, the
    Alliance performs the following fundamental security tasks:
        Security:
            To provide one of the indispensable foundations for a stable
                Euro-Atlantic security environment, based on the growth of
                democratic institutions and commitment to the peaceful
                resolution of disputes, in which no country would be able to
                intimidate or coerce any other through the threat or use of
                force.
        Consultation:
            To serve, as provided for in Article 4 of the North Atlantic
                Treaty, as an essential transatlantic forum for Allied
                consultations on any issues that affect their vital
                interests, including possible developments posing risks for
                members' security, and for appropriate co-ordination of
                their efforts in fields of common concern.
        Deterrence and Defence:
            To deter and defend against any threat of aggression against any
                NATO member state as provided for in Articles 5 and 6 of the
                Washington Treaty.
    And in order to enhance the security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic
    area:
        Crisis Management:
            To stand ready, case-by-case and by consensus, in conformity
                with Article 7 of the Washington Treaty, to contribute to
                effective conflict prevention and to engage actively in
                crisis management, including crisis response operations.
        Partnership:
            To promote wide-ranging partnership, cooperation, and dialogue
                with other countries in the Euro-Atlantic area, with the aim
                of increasing transparency, mutual confidence and the
                capacity for joint action with the Alliance.
        7. We warmly welcome the participation of the three new Allies--the
    Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland--in their first Alliance Summit
    meeting. Their accession to the North Atlantic Treaty opens a new
    chapter in the history of the Atlantic Alliance.
        We reaffirm today our commitment to the openness of the Alliance
    under Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty and in accordance with
    Paragraph 8 of the Madrid Summit Declaration. We pledge that NATO will
    continue to welcome new members in a position to further the principles
    of the Treaty and contribute to peace and security in the Euro-Atlantic
    area. This is part of an evolutionary process that takes into account
    political and security developments in the whole of Europe. Our
    commitment to enlargement is part of a broader strategy of projecting
    stability and working together with our Partners to build a Europe whole
    and free. The ongoing enlargement process strengthens the Alliance and
    enhances the security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic region. The
    three new members will not be the last.

    [[Page 720]]

        At the Summit in Madrid we recognised the progress made by a number
    of countries aspiring to join the Alliance in meeting the
    responsibilities and obligations for possible membership.
        Today we recognise and welcome the continuing efforts and progress
    in both Romania and Slovenia. We also recognise and welcome continuing
    efforts and progress in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Since the Madrid
    Summit, we note and welcome positive developments in Bulgaria. We also
    note and welcome recent positive developments in Slovakia. We are
    grateful for the co-operation of the former Yugoslav Republic of
    Macedonia \1\ with NATO in the present crisis and welcome its progress
    on reforms. We welcome Albania's co-operation with the Alliance in the
    present crisis and encourage its reform efforts.
        \1\ Turkey recognises the Republic of Macedonia with its
    constitutional name.
        We welcome the efforts and progress aspiring members have made,
    since we last met, to advance political, military and economic reforms.
    We appreciate the results achieved, and look forward to further progress
    by these countries in strengthening their democratic institutions and in
    restructuring their economies and militaries. We take account of the
    efforts of these aspiring members, together with a number of other
    Partner countries, to improve relations with neighbours and contribute
    to security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic region. We look forward
    to further deepening our co-operation with aspiring countries and to
    increasing their political and military involvement in the work of the
    Alliance.
        The Alliance expects to extend further invitations in coming years
    to nations willing and able to assume the responsibilities and
    obligations of membership, and as NATO determines that the inclusion of
    these nations would serve the overall political and strategic interests
    of the Alliance and that the inclusion would enhance overall European
    security and stability. To give substance to this commitment, NATO will
    maintain an active relationship with those nations that have expressed
    an interest in NATO membership as well as those who may wish to seek
    membership in the future. Those nations that have expressed an interest
    in becoming NATO members will remain under active consideration for
    future membership. No European democratic country whose admission would
    fulfil the objectives of the Treaty will be excluded from consideration,
    regardless of its geographic location, each being considered on its own
    merits. All states have the inherent right to choose the means to ensure
    their own security. Furthermore, in order to enhance overall security
    and stability in Europe, further steps in the ongoing enlargement
    process of the Alliance should balance the security concerns of all
    Allies.
        We welcome the aspirations of the nine countries currently
    interested in joining the Alliance. Accordingly, we are ready to provide
    advice, assistance and practical support. To this end, we approve today
    a Membership Action Plan which includes the following elements:
        the submission by aspiring members of individual annual national
          programmes on their preparations for possible future membership,
          covering political, economic, defence, resource, security and
          legal aspects;
        a focused and candid feedback mechanism on aspirant countries'
          progress on their programmes that includes both political and
          technical advice, as well as annual 19+1 meetings at Council level
          to assess progress;
        a clearinghouse to help co-ordinate assistance by NATO and by member
          states to aspirant countries in the defence/military field;
        a defence planning approach for aspirants which includes elaboration
          and review of agreed planning targets.
        We direct that NATO Foreign Ministers keep the enlargement process,
    including the implementation of the Membership Action Plan, under
    continual review and report to us. We will review the process at our
    next Summit meeting which will be held no later than 2002.
        8. We reaffirm our commitment to preserve the transatlantic link,
    including our readiness to pursue common security objectives through the
    Alliance wherever possible. We are pleased with the progress achieved

    [[Page 721]]

    in implementing the Berlin decisions and reaffirm our strong commitment
    to pursue the process of reinforcing the European pillar of the Alliance
    on the basis of our Brussels Declaration of 1994 and of the principles
    agreed at Berlin in 1996. We note with satisfaction that the key
    elements of the Berlin decisions are being put in place. These include
    flexible options for the selection of a European NATO Commander and NATO
    Headquarters for WEU-led operations, as well as specific terms of
    reference for DSACEUR and an adapted CJTF concept. Close linkages
    between the two organisations have been established, including planning,
    exercises (in particular a joint crisis management exercise in 2000) and
    consultation, as well as a framework for the release and return of
    Alliance assets and capabilities.
        9. We welcome the new impetus given to the strengthening of a common
    European policy in security and defence by the Amsterdam Treaty and the
    reflections launched since then in the WEU and--following the St. Malo
    Declaration--in the EU, including the Vienna European Council
    Conclusions. This is a process which has implications for all Allies. We
    confirm that a stronger European role will help contribute to the
    vitality of our Alliance for the 21st century, which is the foundation
    of the collective defence of its members. In this regard:
    a.          We acknowledge the resolve of the European Union to have the
                capacity for autonomous action so that it can take decisions
                and approve military action where the Alliance as a whole is
                not engaged;
    b.          As this process goes forward, NATO and the EU should ensure
                the development of effective mutual consultation, co-
                operation and transparency, building on the mechanisms
                existing between NATO and the WEU;
    c.          We applaud the determination of both EU members and other
                European Allies to take the necessary steps to strengthen
                their defence capabilities, especially for new missions,
                avoiding unnecessary duplication;
    d.          We attach the utmost importance to ensuring the fullest
                possible involvement of non-EU European Allies in EU-led
                crisis response operations, building on existing
                consultation arrangements within the WEU. We also note
                Canada's interest in participating in such operations under
                appropriate modalities.
    e.          We are determined that the decisions taken in Berlin in
                1996, including the concept of using separable but not
                separate NATO assets and capabilities for WEU-led
                operations, should be further developed.
        10. On the basis of the above principles and building on the Berlin
    decisions, we therefore stand ready to define and adopt the necessary
    arrangements for ready access by the European Union to the collective
    assets and capabilities of the Alliance, for operations in which the
    Alliance as a whole is not engaged militarily as an Alliance. The
    Council in Permanent Session will approve these arrangements, which will
    respect the requirements of NATO operations and the coherence of its
    command structure, and should address:
    a.          Assured EU access to NATO planning capabilities able to
                contribute to military planning for EU-led operations;
    b.          The presumption of availability to the EU of pre-identified
                NATO capabilities and common assets for use in EU-led
                operations;
    c.          Identification of a range of European command options for
                EU-led operations, further developing the role of DSACEUR in
                order for him to assume fully and effectively his European
                responsibilities;
    d.          The further adaptation of NATO's defence planning system to
                incorporate more comprehensively the availability of forces
                for EU-led operations.
        We task the Council in Permanent Session to address these measures
    on an ongoing basis, taking into account the evolution of relevant
    arrangements in the EU. The Council will make recommendations to the
    next Ministerial meeting for its consideration.

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        11. We have launched a Defence Capabilities Initiative to improve
    the defence capabilities of the Alliance to ensure the effectiveness of
    future multinational operations across the full spectrum of Alliance
    missions in the present and foreseeable security environment with a
    special focus on improving interoperability among Alliance forces (and
    where applicable also between Alliance and Partner forces). Defence
    capabilities will be increased through improvements in the deployability
    and mobility of Alliance forces, their sustainability and logistics,
    their survivability and effective engagement capability, and command and
    control and information systems. In this connection, we endorse the
    Council decision to begin implementing the Multinational Joint Logistics
    Centre concept by the end of 1999, and to develop the C3 system
    architecture by 2002 to form a basis for an integrated Alliance core
    capability allowing interoperability with national systems. We have
    established a temporary High-Level Steering Group to oversee the
    implementation of the Defence Capabilities Initiative and to meet the
    requirement of co-ordination and harmonisation among relevant planning
    disciplines, including for Allies concerned force planning, with the aim
    of achieving lasting effects on improvements in capabilities and
    interoperability. Improvements in interoperability and critical
    capabilities should also strengthen the European pillar in NATO.
        12. We reaffirm our commitment to the 1995 Peace Agreement,
    negotiated in Dayton and signed in Paris, which established Bosnia and
    Herzegovina as a single, democratic and multi-ethnic state, and to the
    full implementation of the Peace Agreement. We reiterate our readiness
    to work constructively with all Parties that support the Peace Agreement
    and seek to implement it.
        13. The Madrid Peace Implementation Council meeting in December 1998
    confirmed that the next two years would be vital in strengthening the
    peace process in Bosnia and Herzegovina and recognised that SFOR's
    presence remains essential, both to keep the peace and to provide the
    secure environment and support for civilian implementation. Return of
    refugees to areas in which they are a minority will remain vital for
    political stability and reconciliation. We will support efforts to take
    this process forward.
        14. SFOR will continue to work closely and effectively with the High
    Representative, whose role we support, the International Criminal
    Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the OSCE and other major
    international organisations, the UN International Police Task Force and
    other agencies implementing the civilian aspects of the Peace Agreement.
    We commend the crucial contribution of men and women of both NATO and
    Partner countries serving in SFOR, who are helping to bring peace to
    Bosnia and Herzegovina.
        15. SFOR's presence cannot, however, be maintained indefinitely.
    SFOR is being streamlined through efficiency measures. We note that the
    Council in Permanent Session is examining options on the future size and
    structure of SFOR.
        16. The continuing crisis in and around Kosovo threatens to further
    destabilise areas beyond the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). The
    potential for wider instability underscores the need for a comprehensive
    approach to the stabilisation of the crisis region in South-Eastern
    Europe. We recognise and endorse the crucial importance of making South-
    Eastern Europe a region free from violence and instability. A new level
    of international engagement is thus needed to build security, prosperity
    and democratic civil society, leading in time to full integration into
    the wider European family.
        17. NATO is determined to play its full part in this process by
    contributing to the building of a more secure and co-operative
    relationship with and between the countries of the region. Given the
    differences in economic development and the diversity and complexity of
    the problems of each country in the region, international efforts to
    develop and stabilise the region must be comprehensive, coherent and
    well co-ordinated. To achieve these ends, NATO, the WEU, the EU, the
    OSCE and the UN must work closely together. The international financial
    institutions also have a crucial role to play. The Alliance's efforts to
    enhance regional security and stability in South-Eastern Europe and to
    help resolve humanitarian problems, and the efforts by other
    international organi-

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    sations, as well as those by the countries of the region, should be
    mutually reinforcing.
        18. We will be meeting with colleagues from the countries of South-
    Eastern Europe tomorrow. We intend to build on that meeting by
    maintaining NATO's consultations with the countries of the region.
    Accordingly, we will propose to them a consultative forum on security
    matters which brings together all NATO members and countries of the
    region at an appropriate level.
        19. We direct the Council in Permanent Session, building on, as
    appropriate, the existing EAPC and PfP framework, to give substance to
    this proposal, inter alia, in the following areas:
        19+1 consultations where appropriate;
        the promotion of regional co-operation in the framework of an EAPC
          co-operative mechanism, taking into account other regional
          initiatives;
        targeted NATO security co-operation programmes for the countries in
          the region, as appropriate;
        regionally focused PfP activities and exercises;
        better targeting and co-ordination of Allies' and Partners'
          bilateral assistance to the region.
        20. The Alliance's efforts to enhance regional security in South-
    Eastern Europe complement those by other international organisations, as
    well as those by the countries of the region. We welcome the forthcoming
    European Union conference on a Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe
    on 27th May 1999, and the South-Eastern Europe Co-operation process, as
    well as other regional efforts. Coherence and co-ordination between the
    various initiatives will be of great importance.
        21. The security of the Balkan region is essential to achieving
    lasting stability throughout the Euro-Atlantic area. Our goal is to see
    the integration of the countries of the region into the Euro-Atlantic
    community. We want all the countries and peoples of South-Eastern Europe
    to enjoy peace and security and establish normal relations with one
    another, based on respect of human rights, democracy, individual liberty
    and the rule of law.
        22. We reaffirm our commitment to consultation, partnership and
    practical co-operation through the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and
    the Partnership for Peace. We commit ourselves today to build an
    enhanced and more operational relationship with Partners for the 21st
    century that strengthens stability, mutual confidence, and security
    throughout the Euro-Atlantic area. The EAPC and the PfP have transformed
    political-military relations across the continent and have become the
    instruments of choice when the Alliance and its Partners consult and act
    together in the pursuit of peace and security. We look forward to
    consulting with our Partners at tomorrow's EAPC Summit meeting.
        23. The EAPC, founded in 1997, contributes substantially to stronger
    political consultation and practical co-operation between the Alliance
    and its Partners, for solutions to security issues. We applaud this
    expanded dimension of political consultations, which has enhanced
    transparency and confidence among all EAPC members. The Alliance and its
    Partners have consulted regularly on regional security issues, such as
    on Bosnia and Herzegovina and on Kosovo. We have also developed new
    areas of co-operation such as peacekeeping, humanitarian de-mining,
    control over transfer of small arms, and the co-ordination of disaster
    relief and humanitarian assistance.
        24. We welcome the successful fulfilment by the Alliance and its
    Partners of five years of Partnership for Peace and the full
    implementation of PfP enhancements launched in 1997. Enhanced PfP has
    ensured that NATO-Partner co-operation contributes concretely to Euro-
    Atlantic stability and security. The participation of 15 PfP Partners in
    IFOR/SFOR demonstrates the real-life benefits of PfP's focus on
    interoperability and provides valuable lessons for future Alliance-
    Partner co-operation. The presence of Partner officers in an
    international capacity in NATO military headquarters enables Partners to
    participate in planning for NATO-PfP exercises and NATO-led PfP
    operations. Enhanced PfP has also permitted NATO to take action to
    assist Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia with their
    unique security concerns.

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        25. We welcome and take special note of the initiatives designed to
    make the Partnership more operational and ensure greater Partner
    involvement in appropriate decision-making and planning, as we had
    envisioned in our Madrid Declaration. These steps will ensure that the
    Partnership will be better able to address its objectives, and will
    provide a solid foundation for its continuing evolution as the core of a
    co-operative security network between NATO and its Partners for the 21st
    century. To further this goal, we have today approved the following
    comprehensive package. We have:
        approved a Political-Military Framework for NATO-led PfP operations,
          which will enhance Partners' roles in political guidance and
          oversight, planning, and command arrangements for such operations;
        endorsed the expanded and adapted Planning and Review Process, which
          will further enhance interoperability of Partner forces declared
          available for PfP activities, and will allow for more focused and
          increased Partner contributions of valuable forces and
          capabilities for future NATO-led PfP operations;
        endorsed the outline Operational Capabilities Concept for NATO-led
          PfP operations, which will provide for deeper military co-
          operation between the Alliance and Partners with the goal of
          improving the ability of Partner forces and capabilities to
          operate with the Alliance in NATO-led PfP operations and directed
          the Council in Permanent Session to pursue its further
          development;
        endorsed the outline programme on enhancing PfP training and
          education to optimise and harmonise NATO and national PfP
          activities in order to meet the current and future demands of an
          enhanced and more operational PfP. The outline programme includes
          the role of three new PfP tools--a PfP Consortium of Defence
          Academies and Security Studies Institutes, a PfP Exercise
          Simulation Network and PfP Training Centres. We directed the
          Council in Permanent Session to develop a PfP Training and
          Education Enhancement Programme.
        26. We remain firmly committed to our partnership with Russia under
    the NATO-Russia Founding Act. NATO and Russia have a common objective in
    strengthening security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area.
    Throughout the Kosovo crisis, NATO and Russia have shared the common
    goals of the international community: to halt the violence, to avert a
    humanitarian catastrophe, and to create the conditions for a political
    solution. These goals remain valid. Consultation and dialogue are even
    more important in times of crisis. NATO and its member countries are
    determined to build on the areas of common ground with Russia concerning
    the international response to the crisis in Kosovo and remain ready to
    resume consultations and co-operation in the framework of the Founding
    Act.
        27. Close relations between NATO and Russia are of great importance
    to stability and security in the Euro-Atlantic area. Since the
    conclusion of the Founding Act in May 1997, considerable and encouraging
    progress has been made in intensifying consultation and co-operation
    with Russia. The NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council has developed into
    an important venue to consult, to promote transparency and confidence-
    building, and to foster co-operation. Russia's participation in the
    implementation of the peace agreement for Bosnia and Herzegovina was a
    significant step towards a new co-operative relationship. We have
    developed an extensive dialogue on such matters as disarmament and arms
    control, including the adaptation of the CFE Treaty; peacekeeping and
    nuclear weapons issues. Strategy, defence policy and doctrines, budgets
    and infrastructure development programmes, and non-proliferation, are
    further examples of this increasing co-operation.
        28. We attach great importance to a strong, enduring and distinctive
    partnership between NATO and Ukraine. Ukraine has an important role to
    play in enhancing security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area and
    in particular in Central and Eastern Europe. We are pleased with the
    progress reached since the signing of the NATO-Ukraine Charter in
    Madrid, and will continue to strengthen our distinctive partnership. We
    continue to support Ukrainian sovereignty

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    and independence, territorial integrity, democratic development,
    economic prosperity and Ukraine's status as a non-nuclear weapons state
    as key factors of stability and security in Europe. We encourage Ukraine
    to carry forward its democratic and economic transformation, including
    its defence reform, and reaffirm NATO's support for Ukraine's efforts to
    this end. We applaud the progress made in the Joint Working Group on
    Defence Reform. We welcome the establishment of a NATO Liaison Office in
    Kyiv to further enhance Ukraine's role as a distinctive Partner. We also
    look forward to today's inaugural Summit meeting of the NATO-Ukraine
    Commission.
        29. The Mediterranean Dialogue is an integral part of the Alliance's
    co-operative approach to security since security in the whole of Europe
    is closely linked to security and stability in the Mediterranean. We are
    pleased with the development of our Mediterranean Dialogue. The Dialogue
    is progressive in nature and we welcome the progress towards developing
    broader and deeper co-operation and dialogue with the countries in the
    Mediterranean region. We endorse the enhancements to the political and
    practical co-operation of the Mediterranean Dialogue agreed by the
    Council in Permanent Session and direct it to pursue their early
    implementation. We encourage Allied nations and Mediterranean Dialogue
    countries to organise events such as the Rome Conference in 1997 and the
    Valencia Conference in 1999 as positive steps to strengthen mutual
    regional understanding. We look forward to further opportunities to
    strengthen co-operation in areas where NATO can add value, particularly
    in the military field, and where Dialogue countries have expressed
    interest. The Dialogue and other international efforts, including the EU
    Barcelona process, are complementary and mutually reinforcing and thus
    contribute to transparency and building confidence in the region.
        30. The proliferation of nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC)
    weapons and their means of delivery can pose a direct military threat to
    Allies' populations, territory, and forces and therefore continues to be
    a matter of serious concern for the Alliance. The principal non-
    proliferation goal of the Alliance and its members is to prevent
    proliferation from occurring, or, should it occur, to reverse it through
    diplomatic means. We reiterate our full support for the international
    non-proliferation regimes and their strengthening. We recognise progress
    made in this regard. In order to respond to the risks to Alliance
    security posed by the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and
    their delivery means, we have launched an Initiative that builds upon
    work since the Brussels Summit to improve overall Alliance political and
    military efforts in this area.
        31. The WMD Initiative will: ensure a more vigorous, structured
    debate at NATO leading to strengthened common understanding among Allies
    on WMD issues and how to respond to them; improve the quality and
    quantity of intelligence and information-sharing among Allies on
    proliferation issues; support the development of a public information
    strategy by Allies to increase awareness of proliferation issues and
    Allies' efforts to support non-proliferation efforts; enhance existing
    Allied programmes which increase military readiness to operate in a WMD
    environment and to counter WMD threats; strengthen the process of
    information exchange about Allies' national programmes of bilateral WMD
    destruction and assistance; enhance the possibilities for Allies to
    assist one another in the protection of their civil populations against
    WMD risks; and create a WMD Centre within the International Staff at
    NATO to support these efforts. The WMD initiative will integrate
    political and military aspects of Alliance work in responding to
    proliferation.
        32. Arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation will continue to
    play a major role in the achievement of the Alliance's security
    objectives. NATO has a long-standing commitment in this area. Allied
    forces, both conventional and nuclear, have been significantly reduced
    since the end of the Cold War as part of the changed security
    environment. All Allies are States Parties to the central treaties
    related to disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass
    destruction, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Biological and
    Toxin Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention, and are
    committed to the full implementation of

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    these treaties. NATO is a defensive Alliance seeking to enhance security
    and stability at the minimum level of forces consistent with the
    requirements for the full range of Alliance missions. As part of its
    broad approach to security, NATO actively supports arms control and
    disarmament, both conventional and nuclear, and pursues its approach
    against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their
    delivery means. In the light of overall strategic developments and the
    reduced salience of nuclear weapons, the Alliance will consider options
    for confidence and security building measures, verification, non-
    proliferation and arms control and disarmament. The Council in Permanent
    Session will propose a process to Ministers in December for considering
    such options. The responsible NATO bodies would accomplish this. We
    support deepening consultations with Russia in these and other areas in
    the Permanent Joint Council as well as with Ukraine in the NATO-Ukraine
    Commission and with other Partners in the EAPC.
        33. The CFE Treaty is a cornerstone of European security. We
    reaffirm our commitment to the successful adaptation of the Treaty
    reflecting the new security environment and paving the way to greater
    conventional security and stability in Europe. In the course of the
    negotiations so far, Members of the Alliance have already declared their
    intention to undertake reductions in their equipment entitlements or
    holdings, and we strongly encourage others to follow suit with similar
    substantial reductions. In this context, we are pleased that agreement
    has been reached by CFE States Parties in Vienna in March 1999 on the
    key outstanding issues, permitting drafting work to proceed without
    delay. Allies will do their utmost to complete an adapted Treaty for
    signature by the time of the OSCE Istanbul Summit in November 1999.
    Until the adaptation process is completed, the continued full
    implementation of the existing Treaty and its associated documents will
    remain crucial.
        34. We call on Russia to ratify the START II Treaty without delay.
    This would pave the way for considerable reductions of nuclear arsenals
    and would allow negotiations on a START III Treaty aiming at further
    far-reaching reductions. We remain committed to an early entry into
    force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and call upon all countries
    to accede to and implement the Treaty in due course. We support the
    early commencement of negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty.
        35. We are determined to achieve progress on a legally binding
    protocol including effective verification measures to enhance compliance
    and promote transparency that strengthens the implementation of the
    Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. We re-emphasise the importance
    of universal adherence to, and effective implementation of, the Chemical
    Weapons Convention. We support de-mining efforts in Bosnia, the
    development of practical initiatives under the auspices of the EAPC,
    and--for signatories--activities to meet obligations under the Ottawa
    Convention.
        36. We call on Belarus, Russia and Ukraine to ratify the Open Skies
    Treaty without delay.
        37. We will seek to intensify on a mutually reinforcing basis the
    Alliance's contacts and co-operation with other international
    organisations with a role to play in consolidating democracy and
    preserving peace in the Euro-Atlantic Area.
        38. As stated in the Washington Treaty, we recognise the primary
    responsibility of the United Nations Security Council for the
    maintenance of international peace and security. The Alliance and the UN
    have worked together effectively in implementing the Peace Agreement in
    Bosnia and Herzegovina. We look forward to developing further contact
    and exchanges of information with the United Nations, in the context of
    co-operation in conflict prevention, crisis management, crisis response
    operations, including peacekeeping, and humanitarian assistance. In the
    crisis in Kosovo, the Alliance is using its civil and military
    capabilities to work with the UNHCR, the lead agency in the field of
    refugee relief, and other relevant international organisations, in
    providing humanitarian assistance and refugee relief. The Alliance will
    consider on a case-by-case basis future co-operation of this kind.
        39. Co-operation and co-ordination between the Alliance and the
    Organisation for

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    Security and Co-operation in Europe has expanded considerably in the
    light of the support we have provided to the OSCE-led Kosovo
    Verification Missions. We hope to make use of these important bridges
    between our two organisations to work together in conflict prevention,
    peacekeeping, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation, in the
    spirit of the OSCE's Common Concept for the Development of Co-operation
    between Mutually Reinforcing Institutions. We continue to support the
    efforts of the OSCE to develop a Document-Charter on European Security,
    worthy of adoption at the OSCE Istanbul Summit in November 1999.
        40. The Alliance and the European Union share common strategic
    interests. Our respective efforts in building peace in the former
    Yugoslavia are complementary. Both organisations make decisive
    contributions to peace and stability on the European continent. Co-
    operation between the two organisations on topics of common concern, to
    be decided on a case-by-case basis, could be developed when it enhances
    the effectiveness of action by NATO and the EU.
        41. The Alliance, in order to adapt its structures to better prepare
    it to meet future challenges, launched a comprehensive programme
    including the continuing adaptation of NATO's command structure.
    Accordingly, Allies welcome the activation decision of the
    implementation phase of the Alliance's new command structure. This will
    ensure NATO's ability to carry out the whole range of its missions more
    effectively and flexibly; support an enlarged Alliance and our more
    operational relationship with Partners; and provide, as part of the
    development of the ESDI within NATO, for European command arrangements
    able to prepare, support, command and conduct WEU-led operations. After
    successful trials, we have embarked on the full implementation of the
    CJTF concept, giving us an important new tool for crisis management in
    the next century. Allies also welcome the full integration of Spain into
    NATO's military structure from January this year, another significant
    milestone for the Alliance.
        42. Terrorism constitutes a serious threat to peace, security and
    stability that can threaten the territorial integrity of States. We
    reiterate our condemnation of terrorism and reaffirm our determination
    to combat it in accordance with our international commitments and
    national legislation. The terrorist threat against deployed NATO forces
    and NATO installations requires the consideration and development of
    appropriate measures for their continued protection, taking full account
    of host nation responsibilities.
        43. NATO Heads of State and Government believe that a key to the
    future success of the North Atlantic Alliance is the efficient
    production and availability of advanced weapons and technology in
    support of security for all its members. We also believe that viable
    defence industries on both sides of the Atlantic are critical to the
    efficient functioning of NATO military forces. To that end, we welcome
    continued transatlantic defence industrial co-operation to help ensure
    interoperability, economies of scale, competition and innovation. We
    will seek to ensure that NATO's armament activities meet the Alliance's
    evolving military needs.
        44. We welcome the presence in Washington of the President and other
    representatives of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NPA). The NPA plays
    a significant role in complementing NATO's efforts to project stability
    throughout Europe. We therefore attach great importance to enhancing our
    relations with the NPA in areas of common concern. We also appreciate
    the contribution made by the Atlantic Treaty Association in promoting
    better understanding of the Alliance and its objectives among our
    publics.
        45. We express our deep appreciation for the gracious hospitality
    extended to us by the Government of the United States on the occasion of
    the 50th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty.

    Note: The joint statement was issued by the heads of state and
    government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in
    Washington, DC, April 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.

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