DATE=10/26/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=NATO / BALTICS (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-255482
BYLINE=RON PEMSTEIN
DATELINE=BRUSSELS
CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO:  Latvia's President Vaira Vike-Freiberga 
met Tuesday with NATO's Secretary General George 
Robertson to push her country's case for NATO 
membership.  V-O-A correspondent Ron Pemstein 
reports from Brussels that the Latvian leader was 
told her country will have to wait with the other 
applicants.

TEXT:  NATO has asked the nine countries applying 
for membership to submit plans describing their 
willingness and ability to become members of the 
alliance.  Estonia and Latvia were the first of 
the candidates to deliver their membership action 
plans. 

In case anyone missed Latvia's enthusiasm, 
President Vaira Vike-Freiberga paid a call on 
Secretary-General George Robertson to push her 
country's membership bid.

            /// VIKE-FREIBERGA ACT ///

      Certainly it is clear that small countries 
      like Latvia and its immediate Baltic 
      neighbors, Estonia and Lithuania, in spite 
      of their best efforts, can never be capable 
      of defending themselves against the sort of 
      aggressions that, unfortunately, we have 
      experienced repeatedly in this century, 
      which is now drawing to a close.  (OPT) Our 
      hope is that the next century will see an 
      entirely different Europe where that sort 
      of aggression will not even happen. 
      Nonetheless, we have to be ready for all 
      eventualities and this is why we feel we 
      can be fully secure only within some larger 
      alliance. (END OPT)

            /// END ACT ///

NATO expects Latvia and its Baltic neighbors to 
be ready to share alliance responsibilities as 
Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic did when 
NATO went to war in Kosovo two weeks after they 
became members.

Secretary-General Robertson praises Latvia's 
contribution to NATO's peacekeeping duties in 
Kosovo, but he says enlargement is  not  on the 
alliance's immediate agenda.

            /// ROBERTSON ACT ///

      The whole issue of enlargement is a 
      political decision that will be taken in 
      due course, at the summit that is likely to 
      be held in the year 2002. What NATO is 
      concentrating on now in relation to 
      enlargement is on the membership action 
      plans, which are being monitored and 
      examined on a regular basis. 

            /// END ACT ///

By the end of this year, NATO plans to discuss 
the first chapter of those membership action 
plans with the candidates. That chapter 
concentrates on political and economic issues, 
such as settling ethnic disputes or external 
territorial disputes.  The European Union has 
criticized Latvia for its difficulties in passing 
a language law that protects its 43 percent 
Russian minority. On the other hand, the European 
Union expects to begin membership negotiations 
with Latvia and Lithuania next year. Estonia has 
already started those negotiations with the 
European Union. 

When it comes to NATO membership, relations 
between NATO and Russia are likely to play a part 
in the pace of membership for the Baltic 
countries.  NATO is trying to re-establish its 
relations with Russia after they were frozen 
during the war in Kosovo.  While some NATO 
countries have criticized the Russian military 
actions in Chechnya, the alliance has said 
nothing. (Signed)

NEB/RP/GE/LTD/KL 



26-Oct-1999 10:27 AM EDT (26-Oct-1999 1427 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
.