Nr. 051, 28. maí 1998: Halldór Ásgrímsson sat í dag utanríkisráðherrafund Atlantshafsbandalagsins í Lúxemborg.
Halldór Ásgrímsson utanríkisráðherra sat í dag utanríkisráðherrafund Atlantshafsbandalagsins í Lúxemborg.
Í yfirlýsingu sinni lýstu utanríkisráðherrarnir ánægju sinni með fullgildingu viðbótarbókana um aðild Póllands, Ungverjalands og Tékklands að Atlantshafsbandalaginu og staðfestu, að bandalagið stæði áfram opið nýjum aðildarríkjum. Þeir lögðu áherslu á mikilvægi samráðs við samstarfsríkin á vettvangi Evró-Atlantshafssamstarfsráðsins um svæðisbundin málefni, einkanlega varðandi Bosníu, Kósóvó og Albaníu.
Ráðherrarnir fögnuðu árangrinum af starfi Samstarfsráðs Atlantshafsbandalagsins og Rússlands í kjölfar vinnuáætlunar, sem samþykkt var í desember sl. Þeir lýstu ánægju sinni vegna stofnunar sérstakrar sendinefndar Rússlands hjá Atlantshafsbandalaginu og vegna eflingar hermálasamvinnu við Rússa. Þeir lýstu einnig ánægju yfir formlegri opnun upplýsingaskrifstofu Atlantshafsbandalagsins í Moskvu.
Ráðherrarnir fögnuðu ennfremur styrkingu samskipta Atlantshafsbandalagsins og Vestur-Evrópusambandsins.
Í yfirlýsingu sinni ítrekuðu þeir áhyggjur sínar vegna útbreiðslu gjöreyðingarvopna og eldflaugatækni. Þeir undirstrikuðu þá hættu, sem stafaði af þessum vopnum fyrir alþjóðlegan og svæðisbundinn stöðugleika. Í ljósi nýlegra tilrauna Indverja með kjarnavopn, sem Atlantshafsbandalagið fordæmdi 20. maí sl., hvöttu ráðherrarnir öll ríki til að gerast aðilar að viðeigandi alþjóðasamningum.
Ráðherrarnir ítrekuðu fordæmingu sína á hvers konar hryðjuverkum. Nauðsynlegt væri að berjast gegn þessari ógn og náin samvinna á alþjóðavettvangi væri nauðsynleg til að koma í veg fyrir hryðjuverkastarfsemi.
Ráðherrarnir vöktu athygli á því að verið er að kanna áhrif alþjóðasamningsins um bann gegn jarðsprengjum, sem beint er gegn fólki, á starfsemi Atlantshafsbandalagsins.
Á fundinum var samþykkt aðgerðaráætlun um áframhaldandi friðarframkvæmd Atlantshafsbandalagsins í Bosníu-Hersegóvínu (SFOR). Í henni er m.a. kveðið á um stofnun sérstakra fjölþjóðlegra sérsveita innan SFOR til að auka hæfni liðsins til að bregðast við óeirðum, t.d. vegna heimkomu flóttamanna. Ráðherrarnir tilkynntu, að SFOR myndi halda áfram að styðja borgaralegan hluta friðarsamkomulagsins í Bosníu, þ.m.t. störf háttsetta fulltrúans um málefni Bosníu-Hersegóvínu, Flóttamannastofnunar Sameinuðu þjóðanna, Öryggis- og samvinnustofnunar Evrópu og alþjóðaglæpadómstólsins vegna fyrrum Júgóslavíu.
Á fundinum fór fram ítarleg umræða um ástandið í Kósóvó og það, hvernig bandalagið gæti stuðlað að auknum stöðugleika á svæðinu. Ráðherrarnir lýstu yfir þungum áhyggjum vegna ástandsins í Kósóvó og fordæmdu beitingu ofbeldis. Þeir sögðu ástandið geta stefnt friðarsamkomulaginu í hættu og ógnað öryggi og jafnvægi í Albaníu og Fyrrum sambandslýðveldi Júgóslavíu Makedóníu. Ráðherrarnir kváðust þess fullvissir að vandamál Kósóvó yrðu eingöngu leyst með viðræðum milli aðila, án skilyrða.
Þeir lýstu fullum stuðningi við áframhaldandi veru friðargæsluliðs Sameinuðu þjóðanna í Makedóníu eftir að núverandi umboð sveitanna rennur út.
Þeir sögðu mikilvægt að hið alþjóðlega samfélag legði sitt af mörkum til að ná friðsamlegri lausn á deilumálum í Kósóvó og að stuðlað yrði að öryggi og stöðugleika í nágrannaríkjum Sambandslýðveldisins Júgóslavíu, sérstaklega í Albaníu og Makedóníu. Þeir ákváðu að styrkja friðarsamstarfið í báðum ríkjunum, m.a. með því að veita aðstoð til að treysta landamæri ríkjanna, halda æfingar á grundvelli friðarsamstarfsins og að undirbúa stuðning við Flóttamannastofnun Sameinuðu þjóðanna, skapist neyðarástand á svæðinu.
Lokayfirlýsing fundarins, ásamt sérstökum yfirlýsingum varðandi Bosníu- Hersegóvínu og Kósóvó, fylgir hjálagt.
Utanríkisráðuneytið
Reykjavík, 28. maí 1998.
PRESS COMMUNIQUE M-NAC-1 (98)59
MINISTERIAL MEETING OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL IN LUXEMBOURG ON 28 MAY 1998
FINAL COMMUNIQUE
1. At their Summit meeting in Madrid in July 1997, our Heads of State and Government took important decisions to shape the new NATO to meet the challenges of the 21st century. In December we advanced the implementation of those decisions. Today, at our meeting in Luxembourg, we noted with satisfaction further progress achieved and gave guidance for further work in preparation for the next Summit meeting in Washington in April 1999.
2. We have today issued statements on Bosnia and Herzegovina and on Kosovo. We are also watching carefully to see that nothing interferes with the free and fair conduct of the forthcoming elections in Montenegro.
3. We look forward to welcoming the three invited countries - the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland - as members of the Alliance in time for the Washington Summit in April 1999. We are pleased with the progress of the ratification process. We received an oral report on the steps taken to associate more closely the three invited countries with the structures and procedures of the Alliance, to prepare them to undertake the responsibilities and obligations of membership.
We reaffirm that the door remains open to NATO membership under Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty and in accordance with the terms set out in Paragraph 8 of the Madrid Summit Declaration. We will continue our intensified dialogues on an active basis with those nations that aspire to NATO membership or otherwise wish to pursue a dialogue on membership questions. We received a report on the conduct of these dialogues since our last meeting. As directed by Heads of State and Government at the Madrid Summit, we will keep the process under continual review. We direct the Council in Permanent Session to report to us at our next meeting on progress in the intensified dialogues.
4. Tomorrow's meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council will be the opportunity to celebrate the EAPC's first anniversary. Today we received a comprehensive progress report on implementation of the EAPC Basic Document and the enhanced Partnership for Peace.
We note with satisfaction the considerable progress achieved by the EAPC since its launch in Sintra last year towards fulfilling its purpose as the framework for both an expanded political dimension of partnership and enhanced practical cooperation through the substantial strengthening of the PfP. We place importance on our consultations with Partners in the EAPC on regional matters, in particular on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Kosovo.
We are pleased with our enhanced practical cooperation in the field of international disaster relief, in particular the establishment of a Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre following a proposal by the Russian Federation.
5. Enhanced Partnership for Peace continues to build new patterns of practical cooperation with Partners across a wide range of security issues. We are pleased with the progress achieved in its implementation, particularly the increasing involvement of Partners in shaping PfP programmes and policies. We look forward to involving Partners in developing proposals for promoting regional cooperation between the Allies and PfP Partners and in the development of a political-military framework for NATO-led PfP operations.
We task the Council in Permanent Session, in cooperation with Partners, to further pursue the implementation of the decisions taken at our meeting in Sintra in May 1997, and to report to us at our next meeting.
6. We welcome the developing process of consultation and practical cooperation with Russia on the basis of the work programme agreed at the Permanent Joint Council Ministerial meeting in December 1997. Since that time, we have consulted regularly on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and have exchanged views on a wide range of security and defence-related issues.
We are pleased with the establishment, in accordance with the Brussels Agreement, of a Russian Federation mission to NATO as foreseen in the NATO-Russia Founding Act. Our military cooperation has been reinforced with the presence of a Senior Military Representative of the Russian Federation. Our aim is to work with Russia to achieve the early opening of a NATO Military Liaison Mission in Moscow, if possible by the end of the year. We also welcome the progress Russia has made in the elaboration of its Individual Partnership Programme, building on the successful military cooperation that has been achieved between NATO and Russia in the SFOR operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
We welcome the official opening in February of the NATO Documentation Centre in Moscow and intend to enhance further the Centre's information activities. We look forward to signing with Russia later today a Memorandum of Understanding on Scientific and Technical Cooperation. We are committed to working together with Russia to make full use of the potential of the NATO-Russia Founding Act and encourage Russia to play an active role in the EAPC and the enhanced PfP.
7. We are pleased with the progress achieved in the implementation, under the aegis of the NATO-Ukraine Charter, of the NATO-Ukraine work plan for 1998 and of Ukraine's Individual Partnership Programme within the enhanced Partnership for Peace. In pursuit of our distinctive partnership with Ukraine, we will assign a NATO liaison officer to Kyiv later this year to help Ukraine to continue to enhance its role in the Partnership for Peace. We welcome the establishment of the Joint Working Group on Defence Reform, which will play a significant role in achieving Ukraine's interoperability goals. We take note of the efforts to develop a prioritised approach to NATO-Ukraine cooperative activities, and look forward to implementing the activities foreseen in the work plan. We will continue to support an active information effort in Ukraine through the NATO Information and Documentation Centre in Kyiv.
8. We reiterate our firm belief that security in Europe is closely linked with security and stability in the Mediterranean. We give great attention to our Mediterranean Dialogue, which is part of the Alliance's overall cooperative approach to security and reinforces and complements other international efforts. We welcome and encourage interest from Mediterranean Dialogue countries in political consultations and practical cooperation with our Alliance, and note that meetings in a 16+1 format have given the Dialogue a greater political profile. We have decided to designate NATO Contact Point Embassies in Mediterranean Dialogue countries to strengthen our relations with them. We welcome the progressive development of the different dimensions of the Dialogue and encourage partners in the Dialogue to take full advantage of all its possibilities, including the military dimension.
9. We attach great importance to an early and successful completion of the process of the Alliance's internal adaptation. The fundamental objectives of this adaptation are to maintain the Alliance's military effectiveness for the full range of its missions building on its essential collective defence capabilities and its ability to react to a wide range of contingencies, to preserve the transatlantic link, and to develop the European Security and Defence Identity within the Alliance. We received a comprehensive report describing the progress made since our last meeting. Progress has been achieved in the implementation of the CJTF concept and preparations for the implementation of the new command structure. Our aim is to complete these preparations by the Washington Summit in April 1999. Good progress has been made towards the integration of Spain into the Alliance's military structure.
Work on building the ESDI within the Alliance, based on the principle of separable but not separate capabilities, is progressing well. Regular meetings of the NATO and WEU Councils in Joint Session and of subordinate bodies, and close consultation on planning and conducting WEU-led operations and exercises involving the use of NATO assets and capabilities are important elements of the development of ESDI within the Alliance. Based on a programme jointly agreed between NATO and the WEU, preparations are underway for a workshop and seminar, leading up to a joint crisis management exercise in 2000.
We welcome progress on the elaboration of arrangements for ESDI within NATO, including for the transfer, monitoring, return or recall of NATO assets and capabilities, currently focusing on a framework for an agreement between NATO and WEU. We direct the Council in Permanent Session to ensure that the key elements of the work on implementing the Berlin and Brussels decisions relating to ESDI are in place, as set out in the report on internal adaptation submitted to us, by the Washington Summit in April 1999.
10. We welcome the steady strengthening of cooperative relations between NATO and the WEU. We also welcome the decisions of the WEU Council of Ministers in Rhodes to reinforce relations with the Alliance, including through the further development of regular contacts between the two organisations at all levels.
11. At their Madrid Summit, Alliance Heads of State and Government mandated an examination, and update as necessary, of the Strategic Concept of 1991. This work is well underway. We discussed the themes which should be reflected in the updated Strategic Concept and look forward to a report on progress at our next meeting in December, looking ahead to endorsement of the updated Concept at the next Summit meeting in April 1999.
12. We continue to support the efforts of the OSCE, the most inclusive European-wide security organisation, to develop a Document-Charter on European security. We are prepared to further develop cooperation with the OSCE, which plays an essential role in securing peace, stability and security in Europe.
13. We remain committed to a successful adaptation of the CFE Treaty, satisfactory to all States Parties, on the basis of the goals and objectives in the "Scope and Parameters" Document and the "Basic Elements" Decision. We wish to strengthen the Treaty's key role in security and stability in Europe. The members of the Alliance have made several proposals in the course of the ongoing negotiations in the Joint Consultative Group in Vienna, most recently on the flank regime, and will continue to present new ideas to move the negotiations forward. We will work as expeditiously as possible towards the conclusion of the adaptation negotiation as foreseen in the timetable agreed at Lisbon on 1st December 1996; and we call on all CFE States Parties to engage actively in achieving this goal. Until the adaptation process is completed, the continued full implementation of the existing Treaty will remain vital.
14. We reiterate our strong concern about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery means. In this context, we re-emphasise that the principal goal of the Alliance is to prevent proliferation from occurring, or should it occur, to reverse it by diplomatic means, and we welcome the Alliance's efforts to ensure its preparedness to address such threats. We underline the risk to international and regional stability posed by the spread of these weapons.
In the light of India's recent nuclear tests, which the Alliance condemned in its statement of 20th May 1998, we urge all countries to accede to and fully implement the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. We support the early conclusion of a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty. We are determined to achieve progress by the end of this year on an effective verification regime to strengthen the implementation of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and re-emphasise the importance of universal adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention.
15. We call on Russia to ratify the START II Treaty and on Russia, Ukraine and Belarus to ratify the Open Skies Treaty.
16. We note that work is underway to assess the impact on NATO of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Production, Stockpiling and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, and look forward to an early report on that work.
17. We reiterate our condemnation of terrorism in all its forms. Reaffirming our determination to combat this scourge, we believe that close international cooperation is an essential means of eradicating it.
18. We note with satisfaction the steps taken to give greater transparency to the budgetary process and to enable the Council to take a broader, more strategic overview of NATO common-funded expenditure.
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19. We express our deep appreciation to the Government of Luxembourg for hosting this meeting.
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PRESS COMMUNIQUE M-NAC-1 (98)60
STATEMENT ON BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Issued at the Ministerial Meeting of the North Atlantic Council held in Luxembourg on 28th May 1998
1. The Alliance has made a decisive contribution to stability and peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Encouraging progress has been made recently in the implementation of many aspects of the Peace Agreement of 1995. But much remains to be done. Today, we endorsed the operational planning for the continuation of SFOR beyond June 1998, following consultations with the non-NATO contributing nations, to assist in the further implementation of the Peace Agreement. The creation within SFOR of a Multinational Specialized Unit, with the same mandate as other SFOR elements, will enhance SFOR's ability to support the local authorities in responding to civil disorder, without engaging in police functions, so as to assist the return of refugees and displaced persons and the installation of elected officials.
2. While the prime responsibility for implementing the Peace Agreement lies with the parties, SFOR will continue, within its means and capabilities, to provide broad support for civil implementation. This will include assisting and coordinating closely and efficiently with:
- the High Representative in the implementation of the civil aspects of the Peace Agreement;
- the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, as a matter of high priority, with the phased and orderly return of refugees;
- the UN International Police Task Force in the reform and re-structuring of the local police;
- the OSCE in the context of the September elections; and
- the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia by transferring persons indicted for war crimes to The Hague.
Detentions by SFOR over the past year of war crimes indictees have contributed to the peace process and underscored our commitment not to let this aspect of the Peace Agreement rest. 3. Progress in these areas will not only help to consolidate the peace within a single, democratic and multi-ethnic state, but will also help to create the conditions in which a NATO-led military presence is no longer needed. NATO has adopted a series of benchmarks to measure progress in the overall implementation of the Peace Agreement. This will allow progressive reductions in the size and profile of the force commensurate with its agreed tasks.
4. We strongly support the continuing implementation of confidence-building measures at the local and regional level. We look forward to the beginning of arms control negotiations, as provided for in the Peace Agreement, with the goal of establishing a regional balance in and around the former Yugoslavia, including appropriate verification arrangements. The Alliance has initiated a set of security cooperation activities with Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the aim of promoting confidence and cooperation among the armed forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and encouraging the development of democratic practices and central defence mechanisms, such as the Standing Committee on Military Matters established by the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
5. We call on all parties to the Peace Agreement to redouble their efforts to implement the Agreement in full and thus to create the conditions for a peaceful, stable and prosperous future for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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PRESS COMMUNIQUE M-NAC-1 (98)61
STATEMENT ON KOSOVO
Issued at the Ministerial Meeting of the North Atlantic Council held in Luxembourg on 28th May 1998
1. We are deeply concerned by the situation in Kosovo. We deplore the continuing use of violence in suppressing political dissent or in pursuit of political change. The violence and the associated instability risk jeopardising the Peace Agreement in Bosnia and Herzegovina and endangering security and stability in Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. It is particularly worrying that the recent resurgence of violence has been accompanied by the creation of obstacles denying access by international observers and humanitarian organisations to the affected areas in Kosovo.
2. We are firmly convinced that the problems of Kosovo can best be resolved through a process of open and unconditional dialogue between authorities in Belgrade and the Kosovar Albanian leadership. The status quo is unsustainable. We support a political solution which provides an enhanced status for Kosovo, preserves the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), and safeguards the human and civil rights of all inhabitants of Kosovo, whatever their ethnic origin.
President Milosevic has a special responsibility to ensure that steps are taken to achieve a political solution in Kosovo. The Kosovar Albanian leadership, represented by Dr. Rugova, also has a crucial part to play in bringing about a political solution. We therefore urge both sides to ensure that the dialogue that has now begun leads rapidly to the adoption of concrete measures to lower tensions, stop the spread of violence and open the way to a peaceful resolution of the crisis. The dialogue process should take into account the views of all communities in Kosovo. We welcome all efforts of the international community to these ends.
3. We support strongly the continuation of an international military presence in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia after the end of the current mandate of UNPREDEP. We support the continuation of the mandate of UNPREDEP, which has contributed significantly to stability in the region.
4. We have two major objectives with respect to the situation in Kosovo:
- to help achieve a peaceful resolution of the crisis by contributing to the response of the international community; and
- to promote stability and security in neighbouring countries, with particular emphasis on Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
5. We have decided to enhance and supplement PfP activities in both Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to promote security and stability in these Partner countries and to signal NATO's interest in containing the crisis and in seeking a peaceful resolution:
- We are launching NATO-led assistance programmes to help Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to secure their borders, based on enhanced PfP activities and on bilateral assistance.
- We are upgrading a PfP exercise in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, scheduled to take place in September.
- We are scheduling by the end of August a PfP exercise in Albania involving ground and air forces.
- We are establishing a NATO/PfP Cell in Tirana, which will play a direct role in the implementation of Albania's Individual Partnership Programme and which, with the other measures we are taking, will help to enhance the capabilities of Albania's armed forces to ensure the security of its borders.
- We are elaborating a concept for the establishment of PfP training centres, including the possible future use of the Krivolak training area in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
- We are authorising the visit of NATO's Standing Force Mediterranean (STANAVFORMED) to the port of Durres in early July.
- We will prepare to support the UNHCR in the event of a humanitarian crisis in the area.
6. In addition, in order to have options available for possible later decisions and to confirm our willingness to take further steps if necessary, we have commissioned military advice on support for UN and OSCE monitoring activity as well as on NATO preventive deployments in Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, on a relevant legal basis, in order to help achieve a peaceful resolution of the crisis and to strengthen security and stability in the region.
7. We will continue to monitor closely the situation in and around Kosovo and we task the Council in Permanent Session to consider the political, legal and, as necessary, military implications of possible further deterrent measures, if the situation so requires.
8. We are in close consultation with the governments of Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia about the measures involving their countries. We have informed Partners of the development of NATO's thinking prior to this meeting. With Russia, we have consulted in a special meeting of the PJC. We will use the meetings of the NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council, the NATO-Ukraine Commission and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, both here in Luxembourg and in the future, with a view to seeking the cooperation of Russia, Ukraine and our other Partners with our efforts to help achieve a peaceful resolution of the crisis in Kosovo. We have invited the Secretary General to inform the UN Secretary General, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, the WEU Secretary General and other appropriate international organisations with a view to suggesting the coordination of the activities of the various international organisations involved in Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
9. We call upon President Milosevic to agree to the re-admission of the OSCE Long-Term Mission, and to accept the mission of Mr. Felipe González, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office and the EU Special Representative.
10. We are determined, through the ongoing activities of the Alliance through Partnership for Peace and the additional measures we have decided today, to contribute to the international efforts to solve the crisis in Kosovo and to promote regional security and stability.