PRAGUE, Nov 20 (Hina) - Czech President Vaclav Havel on Wednesday said that besides the announcement that it would accept seven central and eastern European countries as its new members, NATO should show clearly that it would remain
open for other Balkan countries which would not be called at the two-day Prague summit to join the Alliance.
PRAGUE, Nov 20 (Hina) - Czech President Vaclav Havel on Wednesday
said that besides the announcement that it would accept seven
central and eastern European countries as its new members, NATO
should show clearly that it would remain open for other Balkan
countries which would not be called at the two-day Prague summit to
join the Alliance. #L#
The Alliance should convey this message to Croatia, Albania,
Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro, Havel said
at a conference on transformation of NATO, organised by the Berlin-
based Aspen Institute in the Czech capital ahead of the NATO summit
which will begin on Thursday.
The Alliance, however, should define the future borders of its
enlargement before they lost their sense, Havel said.
He once again opposed the possibility that Russia be integrated
into NATO, and suggested the maintenance of their partnership
relations.
He also proposed a quick and transparent transformation of NATO so
that it could efficiently counter new threats including terrorist
attacks.
Present at the conference, organised by the Aspen Institute, an
independent non-profit organisation, were NATO Secretary General
George Robertson, former U.S Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright, former Swedish Premier Carl Bildt and former Polish
Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek.
(hina)