Congressional Documents
[Page: S3456]
(Ordered to lie on the table.)
Mr. JEFFORDS submitted an executive amendment intended to be proposed by him to the resolution of ratification for the treaty (Treaty Doc. No. 105-36) protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949 on the accession of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. These protocols were opened for signature at Brussels on December 16, 1997, and signed on behalf of the United States of America and other parties to the North Atlantic Treaty; as follows:
At the appropriate place in section 3 of the resolution, insert the following:
( ) United states government discussions with foreign governments regarding possible further enlargement of nato:
(i) Findings: The Senate finds that--
(I) the President has consistently stated that the current round of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty will not be the last and that the door to membership will remain open;
(II) the following nine Partnership for Peace countries have begun the formal application process to join NATO: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia;
(III) the following 15 countries have sought a closer relationship with NATO by joining the Partnership for Peace: Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Finland, Georgia, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan; and
(IV) Croatia has expressed interest in NATO membership;
(ii) Annual reports: Prior to the deposit of the United States instrument of ratification, and annually thereafter, the President shall submit a report to the Senate on the status of discussions concerning NATO membership for Partnership for Peace countries and other countries that have expressed interest in NATO membership, including--
(I) the expected timetable for those countries to meet the criteria for NATO membership; and
(II) a discussion of how the functioning of NATO would be altered if those countries were included.
Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, today I am submitting an amendment to the resolution to ratify the accession of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This amendment addresses future new membership in the alliance.
28 countries in central Asia and eastern Europe that have applied for NATO membership or may aspire to join at a future date when they can meet NATO criteria. Today we are considering extending the NATO security umbrella to only three countries--Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. It is important that we have a clear understanding that the expansion process may go much further than this initial round.
In January 1994, the Administration adopted the Partnership for Peace program to provide a framework for NATO's evaluation of states that are considered to be candidates for alliance membership. In addition to the first three countries invited to join NATO, nine other Partnership for Peace countries have begun the formal application process for membership--Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the Former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia. Moreover, another 15 countries have expressed an interest in NATO by joining the Partnership for Peace. These countries include Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Finland, Georgia, Kazakstan, Kyrgystan, Moldova, Russia, Switzerland, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Although not associated with Partnership for Peace, Croatia has expressed hope that they too will be admitted some day.
The extensive territory covered by these NATO hopefuls begs for more information on the nature and mission of the alliance in the future. My amendment would require an annual report to the Senate on United States Government discussions with the governments of each of these countries on their possible accession. The reports would include the expected timetable for those countries to meet the criteria for NATO membership and how the Administration believes the functioning of NATO would be altered if they were to become a member.
Just how far are we willing to extend the NATO alliance? I am not questioning whether Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic deserve to become alliance members. All three have made remarkable gains since the end of the Cold War. But in the future, other of these 25 nations will meet the criteria to join NATO and may be no less deserving of membership. Now is the time for the Senate to begin thinking about the long-term indications of a decision to open NATOs doors to the East.
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