03 March 1998
(Measure due to reach full Senate week of March 16) (790) By Ralph Dannheisser USIA Congressional Correspondent Washington -- The Senate Foreign Relations Committee overwhelmingly has approved, and sent on to the full Senate for consideration, a measure to enlarge NATO to include Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. The committee vote March 3 was 16-2, with the "no" votes registered by a pair of senators considered respectively to be among the body's most conservative and most liberal -- Missouri Republican John Ashcroft and Minnesota Democrat Paul Wellstone. The committee's senior Democrat, Joseph Biden of Delaware, told USIA after the hearing that the measure to admit the three countries to membership in the alliance is expected to reach the Senate floor during the week of March 16. Committee Chairman Jesse Helms, a North Carolina Republican who had teamed with Biden in championing the measure sought by the Clinton administration, predicted in opening the meeting that Senate approval will come by "an overwhelmingly positive vote." That, Helms said, "will be an obvious vote of confidence in the democracies of Eastern Europe who, having been given a second chance at freedom in this century, have emphasized that they understand the price they must pay to preserve it." Biden called the resolution of ratification before the committee "truly a bipartisan document, and one that will serve the interests of our country well." He said that, in light of dynamic change in Europe, "it is essential for NATO to adjust, or risk losing its viability and purpose." Ashcroft made clear that he objected, not necessarily to the inclusion of the three new countries, but rather to what he alleged could be a dangerously changing role for NATO. He said that Secretary of State Albright had talked of a shift from an alliance focused on defense of its members' geographic territory to one that defends its members' interests -- a change that he warned could involve out-of-territory deployment of troops anywhere in the world. Observing that the current move to increase membership makes this "a propitious moment" to look at the changing role of NATO, Ashcroft served notice that, when the measure reaches the Senate floor, he will seek to add language more clearly defining the scope of the organization. Wellstone, for his part, expressed concern that NATO enlargement "will lead to a poisoning of relations with Russia," which he said could feel threatened by the move. And he said he is "very, very worried" that the step could "bring about a redivision of Europe." Declaring that he had been conflicted on the issue, Wellstone said that "of all the decisions I have made as a senator, this is the most difficult one." The Senate, acting on the enlargement proposal under its power to "advise and consent" on treaties, would have to achieve a two-thirds favorable vote to pass the resolution -- one that would add to the 1949 treaty establishing NATO new protocols governing the accession of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. The Senate resolution: -- Reaffirms that U.S. membership in NATO remains a vital national security interest; -- Lays out the strategic rationale for including the three new members, a rationale grounded in the belief that the move will "enhance security and stability in Central Europe, deter potential aggressors, and thereby advance the interests of the United States and its NATO allies"; -- Reemphasizes that the North Atlantic Council will continue to make core decisions for the alliance, notwithstanding its growing association with non-member states; -- Stresses that the new members will enjoy all the rights and duties of full membership, and endorses commitments made to the Russian Federation that NATO will neither deploy nuclear weapons nor station forces on the territory of the three countries; -- Encourages development of a constructive NATO relationship with the Russian Federation; -- Emphasizes the important role that other European institutions, such as the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, must play in advancing political, economic, and social stability on the Continent; and -- Makes clear that the United States has consented only to admission of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic at this time, and that any future candidates must go through the same procedures to win NATO membership. The resolution also sets several conditions on Senate approval. It declares the Senate's understanding that NATO's central purpose remains the defense of its members, requires the President to make annual reports to the Senate on burdensharing by U.S. allies and to certify the previously stated position of the executive branch on areas of cooperation with Russia, and reiterates the role of the Senate in considering treaties.