WASHINGTON, June 23 (Hina) - The US Assistant Secretary of State in charge of European and Eurasian Affairs, Daniel Fried, on Friday spoke before the House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee about the future of NATO, saying
that in the process of expansion in 2008 one should take into account extending membership invitations to Croatia, Macedonia and Albania, and later to other countries in the region.
WASHINGTON, June 23 (Hina) - The US Assistant Secretary of State
in charge of European and Eurasian Affairs, Daniel Fried, on Friday spoke
before the House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee about the future
of NATO, saying that in the process of expansion in 2008 one should take into
account extending membership invitations to Croatia, Macedonia and Albania, and
later to other countries in the region. The expansion of NATO is
one of the biggest successes in Europe since the fall of the Iron Curtain. The
process continues as Albania, Croatia and Macedonia are completing another
round of Membership Action Plan (MAP) and asking for a membership invitation in
2008, Fried said.
He added that with continued reforms, Georgia and possibly Ukraine
could eventually apply for membership in NATO and the EU.
Speaking about the alliance's mission in Kosovo, Fried said that once
the Kosovo status issue had been settled through supervised independence, KFOR
would continue providing for security in the province during the critical
period.