15 October 1997
(Senators say enlargement is an open process) (1680) Tallinn, Estonia -- Senators William Roth (R-Delaware) and Robert Bennett (R-Utah) told the press in Tallinn October 15 that they came to Estonia "to give the ... loud, clear message that the process of enlargement continues to be open" to Estonia and other Central and Eastern European countries. Asked whether he felt the Senate would ratify NATO enlargement, Roth said, "there's no question the discussions will be extensive, sometimes, I'm sure, quite hot and controversial. But I am confident that at the end of the debate, the Senate will ratify what was agreed to in Madrid." Roth also said that the U.S.-Baltic Charter to be signed in December should address the issue of Baltic membership in NATO. "I will say that it would be appropriate for this charter to endorse Baltic aspirations to become members of the Alliance," he said. Senator Roth is chairman of the Senate NATO Observer Group and president of the North Atlantic Assembly. Of these positions he holds, Roth said in recent testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, "Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the North Atlantic Assembly, representing over 40 political parties, from the 16 NATO nations, has given more serious and consistent study to the future of NATO than any other transatlantic organization. The Senate NATO observer group, organized just last May by Senators Lott and Daschle, has already held more than a dozen meetings to examine the challenges and promise of enlargement." Following is the transcript of the press conference: (Begin text) TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE OF U.S. SENATORS WILLIAM ROTH AND ROBERT BENNETT WITH RIIGIKOGU SPEAKER TOOMAS SAVI TALLINN - OCTOBER 15, 1997 SENATOR ROTH: Thank you very much. It's a great honor, a great privilege, to be here today. Senator Bennett, who is a very distinguished member of the U.S. Senate representing the state of Utah, and his wife have joined me. First of all, let me say what a happy experience it has been to spend two short days in the beautiful city of Tallinn. It is one of the most beautiful cities I have had the pleasure of visiting. But I think the thing that has impressed me the most is the strength and vibrancy of democracy in this country. I think this country has indeed moved as successfully as any that was once behind the Iron Curtain. I think one can say that democracy and rule of law are permanent features here. And I congratulate the people of Estonia for this. As you know, the NATO Alliance is an alliance based on common values. So your achievements in these areas are indeed most admirable. We are also very much impressed with the economic progress your country has made. To bring about the reforms that are necessary to enter a liberal, open economy is indeed tough at times, but your country has demonstrated that they pay off. As was mentioned, I am president of the North Atlantic Assembly. And the 16 countries that make up the Alliance have representatives at our Assembly, as well as most of Eastern and Central Europe. Our last meeting which just concluded a couple of days ago was in Bucharest, Romania. That was an historic event, because normally the Assembly meets in a country that's a member of the Alliance, but we chose to meet in Romania for many reasons. One of the principle reasons was to send a loud, clear signal that the process of enlargement is one that is ongoing and open to all European democracies that are in a position to contribute to the Alliance's security and responsibilities. Romania, like Estonia, of course, was not included in the first tier of enlargement, but we wanted to send a clear signal to the Romanian people by being there about the open process. And the reason I was so eager to come here to visit your beautiful country was to give the same loud, clear message that the process of enlargement continues to be open. I was a member of the U.S. delegation to the Madrid conference, and of course as you know, there the North Atlantic Council gave out the clear message again that the process was open. In closing my remarks, just let me emphasize that the process of NATO enlargement does reach out to the Baltic countries, including your country, Estonia. I look forward to when your country attains membership in all transatlantic and European institutions, especially NATO and the EU. We urge you to work together, the three Baltic countries, because I think standing together makes a loud, clear message. SENATOR BENNETT: I'll simply echo the chairman's remarks about how lovely a city this is and how much we have enjoyed it. I notice in the press that the debate over NATO enlargement in the Senate is going on right now. I feel fortunate to have been here, because I now go back to that debate with a firsthand understanding. I can tell my colleagues in the Senate, as Senator Roth can now, that we've seen firsthand just how prepared these people who are anxious to get in really are. There's no substitute for meeting face-to-face, and I'm grateful for the opportunity I've had to be involved in that. Q: (Den Za Dnjom) What is your personal opinion about the debate in the U.S. Senate over NATO enlargement costs? SENATOR ROTH: As has been mentioned, the debate has begun in the U.S. Senate. First of all, let me point out that the question of enlargement has been considered a number of times by not only the U.S. Senate but the House of Representatives. There have been resolutions adopted the past several years by the Congress, by the two Houses, endorsing the concept of enlargement. These resolutions, a number of which I helped lead to passage, were adopted by very large majorities. For example, in 1996, a recorded vote in the Senate endorsed NATO enlargement 81-16. That shows that there has been rather broad support. But now of course we're beginning the process of hearings and discussions of the ratification of NATO membership for Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. The Foreign Relations Committee, which has jurisdiction over ratification, began their hearings about a week ago. Mrs. Albright, the very able Secretary of State, was the first witness. I was privileged to begin the second day as not only chairman of the North Atlantic Assembly, but also in my capacity as chairman of the Senate NATO Observer Group. The Senate Observer Group was established by the leadership, Trent Lott and Tom Daschle, the Majority and Democratic leaders, and the Observer Group consists of 28 Senators, 14 Democrats and 14 Republicans. A bipartisan majority of the group, I believe, strongly support enlargement. There are a few skeptics who raise some very tough and legitimate questions. The leadership created this Observer Group to work with the committees that have jurisdiction as a device to ensure that the Senate was kept apprised of developments and as an avenue of advice to the Executive branch. So for the past six or eight months, we've had any number of sessions of the Observer Group, with the President of the United States, with the Secretary of State, with the Secretary General and many other distinguished officials in this matter. NATO accession negotiations should be completed in December and then the matter will be submitted to the 16 states that make up NATO for ratification. Trent Lott, the Majority Leader of the Senate, has indicated that he expects ratification to be completed by Easter of next year. As I said at the beginning, that process has begun with hearings being held by (the Senate Committee on) Foreign Relations. Early next year, I expect the debate on the Senate floor to begin. There's no question the discussions will be extensive, sometimes, I'm sure, quite hot and controversial. But I am confident that at the end of the debate, the Senate will ratify what was agreed to in Madrid. One of the very hot issues will be the question of costs. I think it's critically important that the Alliance and the NATO leaders make perfectly clear what the additional costs of enlargement will be, and who will bear what part of those costs. That will not only be a question -- and this is a very important part of the question -- as to whether each of the countries seeking admission will be able to pay their proportion of the cost of their joining the Alliance, but a question of each country that now makes up the Alliance paying their fair share of the additional costs. So at the North Atlantic Assembly meeting in Bucharest, I urged that it was of critical importance that in December the Alliance come up with a clear figure as to what the cost will be, so that we can avoid another very controversial and divisive question of burden-sharing. Transparency is critical on this matter. I think it's important that, as we look at what it will cost, an equally important question is what will be the costs if we do not proceed with enlargement. So just to sum up, I think there will be a very interesting and at times a controversial debate, but that in both the House and Senate -- and the House will play a very important part in helping to provide the resources necessary for enlargement -- I'm confident when the debate is over and the vote is taken, this first phase of NATO enlargement will be ratified. Q: We are in the process of negotiating a U.S.-Baltic Charter. Would you say a few words about this Charter? (inaudible) SENATOR ROTH: Well, as you know, our government has been involved in proposing a charter between our two countries. It really remains to be seen exactly what the content of that charter will be, but the spirit and thrust of it is of course for closer cooperation between our two countries. We think that closer contact, cooperation, between your country and mine is highly desirable, and one of the things I am very much interested in, and one of the reasons for being here, is to determine what your leadership thinks about the charter, and how effective it will be in bringing about a closer relationship. I will say that it would be appropriate for this charter to endorse Baltic aspirations to become members of the Alliance. (End text)