ACCESSION NUMBER:233887
FILE ID:TX-103
DATE:07/06/92
TITLE:NATO CONTINUES TO BE FORCE FOR PEACE (07/06/92)
TEXT:*92070603.TXT
NATO CONTINUES TO BE FORCE FOR PEACE

(VOA Editorial)  (330)
(Following is an editorial, broadcast by the Voice of America July 6,
reflecting the views of the U.S. government.)

For some four decades during the Cold War, the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization, or NATO, protected the freedom and security of Western Europe
from Soviet aggression.  According to U.S. Under Secretary of Defense Paul
Wolfowitz, NATO continues to have a role to play in preserving peace and
international stability.

Today, this military and political alliance has taken on a new importance --
not only for the members of NATO themselves but also for the states of
Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.  Many of these states are
struggling to create democratic and free-market societies and to preserve
their hard-won independence.  NATO provides the stability which is a
necessary foundation for their political and economic success.  As Under
Secretary Wolfowitz noted, "The more confident these states become about
their security, the more they will do to direct scarce resources toward
establishing democracy and free markets."

The collapse of communism has given NATO the opportunity to reach out to the
emerging democracies of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union as
future partners.  One of the most important initiatives has been the
creation of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council, designed to facilitate
consultations and practical cooperation between the NATO allies and the
former Warsaw Pact countries.

As Under Secretary Wolfowitz stressed, the transition period will be fraught
with the dangers of extreme nationalism and ethnic strife.  Nevertheless,
if democracy matures in the states of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet
Union, there is reason to think that these countries could become a force
for peace -- not only in Europe but perhaps even in other critical regions
as well.  As Under Secretary Wolfowitz said, "We are all better off if we
confront those common dangers together just as we confronted the larger
danger in the past."

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