09 February 1998
(Polish, Czech, Hungarian foreign ministers on enlargement) (420) By Rick Marshall USIA Staff Writer Washington -- "Something of a truly momentous scale is happening before our eyes," Zbigniew Brzezinski said February 9, referring to the North American Treaty Organization's (NATO) decision to take on new members. For 50 years, the ideals of the Atlantic Charter were denied the nations of Central and Eastern Europe. Now for the first time they can be applied, he said in brief remarks at a conference hosted by the New Atlantic Initiative. The great problem of this century has been the reality of German and Russian power, Brzezinski said, suggesting that the next phase of this "historical process" would be nothing short of full-scale reconciliation with Russia. While he conceded that it is "clearly premature" to speak of Russian entry into NATO now, "there's nothing to be gained from foreclosing the possibility." Also speaking at the conference were Jeane Kirkpatrick and the foreign ministers from the three new NATO members. Kirkpatrick emphasized the importance of democratic values and extending NATO's guarantee to those nations which embraced them. "Preserving and strengthening democracy" in Central and Eastern Europe "is enormously important" to the United States, she stated. "I think that NATO is an institution that strengthens nations as well as protects them," she added. Laszlo Kovacs, the Hungarian Foreign Minister, told the audience of diplomats, security specialists and academics that entry into NATO and the European Union were his country's top foreign policy goals. Both moves should help modernize the nation and facilitate its integration into the West. Czech Foreign Minister Jaroslav Sedivy noted that all the political parties in his country strongly support NATO membership, and public support for the move is growing. Defense spending rose by 10 percent in 1998, and the government is intensifying its efforts in a number of other sectors to be prepared for accession. He also stressed the importance of keeping the Alliance door open for other new members. Polish Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek began his remarks by saying that "all our nations are grateful to America, the American people, for the collapse of Communism." Among those he thanked for their commitment to Poland were Brzezinski, Kirkpatrick and Lane Kirkland, the former head of the AFL-CIO, who was in the audience. As others had before him, Geremek urged the Alliance to keep membership open for other nations, stressing that Slovakia, in particular, "should never be isolated."