[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 24 (Monday, June 18, 2001)]
[Pages 913-914]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Joint Statement by President George W. Bush and President Aleksander 
Kwasniewski

June 15, 2001

    President George W. Bush and President Aleksander Kwasniewski affirm 
the deep friendship that exists between the United States and Poland, 
based on our common commitment to democratic values and our common 
resolve to build a stronger Transatlantic alliance and a 21st century 
Europe whole, free, and at peace. For more than ten years Poland and the 
United States have worked together to advance and maintain democracy in 
Europe. This is made possible by the existence of an independent Poland, 
a vision for years nurtured by Poles who, among the first of the nations 
of Central and Eastern Europe, initiated a successful march to freedom. 
The friendship of the two countries is deeply rooted in a common 
tradition of striving towards freedom, a goal fostered for generations 
by Americans of Polish descent who, while contributing to the success of 
the United States, never forgot the country of their ancestors.
    We affirm that NATO will remain the essential foundation of 
Transatlantic security. We will work together and with our other NATO 
Allies to adapt NATO to new missions and new challenges, by 
strengthening its capabilities; admitting to our ranks European 
democracies prepared to assume the responsibilities of membership; and 
extending cooperation with Ukraine, Russia, and other members of the 
Partnership for Peace. Poland's entry into NATO in 1999 marked a 
milestone in its return to the Transatlantic community and increased 
Europe's security overall. NATO's continuing enlargement will allow new 
Allies to join with and make contributions to a more secure and 
undivided Europe and Euroatlantic area. We will work together to advance 
NATO's enlargement, upon meeting objective criteria by the candidate 
countries, at NATO's Prague Summit in November 2002. The future 
enlargement of NATO will significantly contribute to the security of the 
Euroatlantic community of nations.
    Poland and the United States support efforts of NATO's European 
Union members and other EU nations to assume greater responsibility for 
crisis management by committing new resources to strengthen their and 
NATO's capabilities and developing the ability to manage efforts where 
NATO as a whole chooses not to engage, through the European Union's 
European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP). The United States and 
Poland believe it is essential that the EU develop capabilities in a 
manner that is fully coordinated, compatible, and transparent with NATO, 
and to provide for the fullest possible participation of non-EU European 
Allies.
    Poland's success in building democracy and market economy is 
relevant to the entire region of Central and Eastern Europe. Poland and 
the United States reaffirm their support for future Ukrainian 
integration into Western institutions as a solid base for Ukrainian 
sovereignty, independence, free market economy and civil society. We 
pledge to work with our allies to this end, and call

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on Ukraine's leadership to rebuild a consensus for the reforms needed to 
achieve this goal. We note with satisfaction the successful completion 
of United States programs assisting Poland's economic reforms, and agree 
to cooperate in supporting Poland's efforts to share the lessons of 
Poland's experience with neighbors seeking assistance.
    We note with pride the achievements of the Polish American 
Enterprise Fund, one of the first initiatives launched in the new, free 
Poland by President George H.W. Bush, which achieved enormous success, 
and continues its efforts through its successor foundation, the Polish 
American Freedom Foundation (PAFF). We are gratified by the growing role 
of the PAFF and other civic organizations as a conduit for sharing 
Poland's free market, democratic experience in the region.
    We are committed to strengthening mutual contacts by creating an 
environment conducive for investment and growth of trade. We are certain 
that young generations of Poles and Americans will continue to look for 
solutions to problems and challenges of the new millennium. This is 
another way in which Poland, the United States and their friends are 
working together to nurture democracy and prosperity.
    We reaffirm our commitment to work with the European Union and other 
partners to consolidate peace and build lasting stability in Southeast 
Europe based on democratic governance, the rule of law, and increasing 
integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions. We condemn extremists, such 
as those in Macedonia, who subvert the democratic process through the 
use of violence. Our two countries are committed to NATO-led operations 
in Bosnia and Kosovo, and will work with our allies with a view to 
transfer, step by step and as circumstances will permit, 
responsibilities for public security from combat forces to specialized 
units and international police, and ultimately to local authorities.
    We will continue to combine our efforts in promoting observance of 
human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe and beyond. We will 
continue to work together on new challenges to security, going beyond 
military threats, such as combating terrorism and organized crime. While 
noting the complex nature of the world's problems, we will undertake and 
support initiatives aimed towards such goals as balanced development, 
fighting drug trafficking and the spread of the HIV virus. We recognize 
the fundamental importance of human rights and their impact on 
international security, and shall continue to advocate worldwide respect 
for them.
    We face a common threat from the growing proliferation of weapons of 
mass destruction (WMD) and increasingly sophisticated missiles for their 
delivery. We are engaged in a consultation process with all interested 
parties about this new threat. We agree on the need for a comprehensive 
security strategy that encompasses both offensive and defense deterrent 
systems, continues nuclear arms reductions, and strengthens WMD and 
missile proliferation controls and counter-proliferation measures.
    We reaffirm that Poland's transatlantic economic ties should 
facilitate its accession into the EU. Recognizing our common goal of 
open markets, we both support the launch of a new multilateral trade 
round this year. The United States welcomes Poland's candidate status in 
the European Union and recognizes that EU membership will provide the 
United States and Poland with new trade and investment opportunities.
    We note with satisfaction the efforts by public and private 
institutions in our two countries to address the crimes and injustices 
of World War II and the Holocaust. We hope to see prompt implementation 
of the multilateral agreement on compensation for victims of slave and 
forced labor during the Second World War.
    Recognizing the historic ties and democratic values that link our 
two peoples, we pledge to work together as friends and close allies in 
Europe and beyond to advance our common interests and values.

Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of 
this joint statement.