No. 23. (04/07/97)       A month of the Euro-Atlantic integration (June 1997)

2nd June

• The economic reforms in Romania have not yet reached the stage where they could make it possible for Romania to join NATO in the first round. This was said by Emil Constantinescu at an international conference in Bucharest. "Romania has started reforms, but they have not yet reached the threshold. Unfortunately the expansion of NATO reached us too soon" - said the head of the state according to whom by autumn his country would also have caught up with the candidates of the first round. According to Constantinescu, Romania does not have to face Russia's opposition any more and the Ukraine completely supports their accession to NATO.

• The final decision on which countries will be invited in the first turn of NATO expansion will be made only at the Madrid summit in July. The selection of the new member states is rather a question of politics than a military question - said general George A. Joulwan. The resigning commander-in-chief of the European forces of NATO was awarded the middle cross of the Hungarian Republic in Budapest in recognition of his IFOR/SFOR activity and his efforts made in the interest of improving the relationship between NATO and Hungary.

5th June

• On his return from Madrid, Austrian head of state, Thomas Klestil said to Austrian television that Javier Solana, NATO Secretary General, and the Spanish leaders, the hosts of NATO summit on the expansion held in July both assured him: the organisation is keeping its gates open for Austria. The Austrian head of state said that Austria has to take a full part in forming the European security structure. This security system is based upon the close co-operation between the European Union and NATO. "After the Madrid summit it will also turn out that the North Atlantic Organisation is not only a military organisation but also the institution that ensures comprehensive peace" he said, directing his words to those who find Austria's neutrality more important than NATO membership. Not mentioning the question of neutrality at all, Klestil said that the discussion regarding Austria's NATO membership of is useful.

6th June

• Eight European countries - five post-communist ones among them - met in Slovenia to discuss the preparations for European integration. Beside the EU members, Germany, Italy and Austria, the presidents of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia also took part in the annual conference organised for the fourth time. The significance of the meeting is increased by that at the approaching summit of the European Union's heads of state and government in Amsterdam, the contract preparing the eastern expansion of the presently fifteen member integration organisation is expected to be signed.

8th June

• Henry Kissinger gave voice to his fears that the agreement between NATO and Russia might result in the loosening of the North Atlantic Organisation transforming the military organisation into a collective security system based on the example of the UNO. In his analysis published in the Washington Post the American ex- foreign minister stated that because of the location of NATO troops and the limitation of stationing atomic weapons the most probable applicants will join the organisation "clearly as second-class members".

9th June

• After the NATO Madrid summit the countries invited to the North Atlantic Organisation have to co-operate closely in political and military fields as well, they have to try to assert their standpoint together - said Czech minister of foreign affairs Josef Zieleniec on the occasion of his visit to Budapest.

12th June

• President Clinton has decided to support the NATO membership of Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic and he intends to come to an agreement with the co-allies in this respect - announced presidential spokesman, Mike McCurry actually preceding minister of defence William Cohen who officially advanced the American standpoint in Brussels, at NATO headquarters. The White House believes that the acceptance of Romania and Slovenia would make the process of expansion more expensive and more difficult, what is more in the countries left out it would arouse the feeling that the door of the protection organisation is closed in front of them for good.

13th June

• "Whatever the decision of the Madrid summit is it must be guaranteed for the door to remain open for the other countries that intend to join" - expedited unanimously the Eastern European participants of the Defence Minister meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in Brussels. At the same time the organisation spokespersons said that after president Clinton's announcement the harmonisation is obviously transferred to the level of the heads of state and government, of course still with the mediation of NATO Secretary General Solana.

• The Slovakian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced: they respect that the USA opens the possibility of accession for three countries in the first turn of NATO expansion, but Bratislava is proceeding from the fact that "the final decision can only be brought on the basis of the consensus of all the member countries of the organisation".
• Slovenian head of government, Janez Drnovsek claimed that the American standpoint surprised him. In his interview given to the Slovenian radio the politician emphasised: the standpoint of the White House is surprising because Slovenia counted on that the list of the countries included in the expansion would only be published directly before the meeting of the North Atlantic Organisation in Madrid.

16th June

• The delegate of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Bundestag negotiating in Budapest confirmed that Bonn supports Hungary's NATO and EU accession in the first turn without reservations.
• Despite the resolute American standpoint Romania is still hoping that at the NATO summit in July they will be invited to join the North Atlantic Organisation - said Romanian Minister of Defence Victor Babiuc in Lisbon.

19th June

• The Kremlin officially confirmed the news revealed earlier that Russian president Boris Yeltsin will not be present in Madrid when the summit of NATO decides upon inviting new members.

21st June

• NATO must accept all those states that fulfil the obligations of the organisation membership - said Czech head of state Václav Havel at the opening ceremony of NATO's 14th international conference in the Hradzhin of Prague. The five-day meeting called "New NATO - road to the future" is dealing with the questions of decision making within the organisation and the current security policies of Europe.

23rd June

• American president Bill Clinton acknowledged at his press conference evaluating the Denver summit that the oppositions between the United States and the European allies have remained with respect to the number of NATO member candidates to be invited in the first round. At the same time he thought that that argument would not cause a lasting division or damage, if the organisation acts in accordance with the schedule and the first one is followed by further phases of expansion.

25th June

• Moscow is not especially worried about the invitation of Hungary to NATO and it cannot influence the bilateral relationships negatively, said Lev Rohlin, president of the defence committee of the Russian Duma after his visit at the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly.

26th June

• The Prague cabinet has decided to create an integration committee to harmonise the preparations in connection with the NATO accession of the Czech Republic. Minister of Foreign Affairs Zieleniec said that the Prime Minister is leading the committee to be created as the government's advisory body and the leaders of the relevant portfolios are also taking part in its work. The government also approved the codification work schedule in connection with the accession.

29th June

• A group of American senators sent a letter to president Bill Clinton asking the government to give detailed reasons for the necessity of NATO expansion and to inform them about the burdens deriving from the expansion. The letter was signed by twenty senators - from the republican and the democratic parties - among them Jesse Helms, president of the international relations committee.
• The American weapon suppliers hope for large business in NATO expansion, because they are counting on that the Central European member candidates will buy a significant amount of western weapons - writes The New York Times according to which the signs relating to "weapon buying fever" have already made the International Monetary Fund worried.
• In their open jointly written letter, Italian and Slovenian ministers of foreign affairs Lamberto Dini and Zoran Thaler requested the United States to change their decision about the triple expansion of NATO.

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The integration activity of the National Assembly in the field of security policy
(June Summary)

28th May - 1st June
The Hungarian delegation of the North Atlantic Assembly led by member of Parliament, Jenõ Rácskay visited Luxembourg where they took part in the spring session of the NAA. The Hungarian reporting work and contributions were both intended to prove that Hungary is ready to fulfil the obligations and tasks involved with full NATO membership. In his contribution at the so-called plenary session member of Parliament Jenõ Rácskay forwarded the invitation of Dr. Zoltán Gál, speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly, for in the year 2000 the NAA to organise its spring session in Hungary.

18th-22nd June
At the Rose-Roth seminar of the North Atlantic Assembly held in Ohrid in Macedonia, the Hungarian National Assembly was represented by member of Parliament, Pál Papp, member of the NAA delegation. The politicians acquired a wide range of information about the country and its Euro-Atlantic integration efforts.

25th-27th June
The Economic Management of NATO organised a conference in Brussels where member of Parliament, Márton Tardos was present representing the Hungarian National Assembly as the president of the Economic Committee. In the scope of the economic colloquium they examined the economic growth and the situation of the economic reforms in the partner countries with special respect to the possibilities of regional co-operation.

15th-17th June
The delegation of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Bundestag led by vice president Reinhard Freiherr von Schorlemer arrived in Hungary for an official visit at the invitation of the Foreign Affairs Committee. On the discussions with speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly, Dr. Zoltán Gál and the members of the Foreign Affairs Committee the German party again confirmed: Bonn has always supported and will support Hungary's Euro-Atlantic integration efforts.

23rd-25th June
The Defence Committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation led by committee president, Lev Rohlin had discussions with the speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly, Dr. Zoltán Gál and the representatives of the Foreign Affairs Committee, during which the Russian party emphasised that Hungary's NATO accession does not influence the relationships with Russia.