DATE=9/21/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=NATO - MONEY (L ONLY)(CQ)
NUMBER=2-254137
BYLINE=JIM RANDLE
DATELINE=TORONTO, CANADA
CONTENT=

VOICED AT:
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2ND SENTENCE, OF TEXT.


INTRO:  The man who will soon lead the NATO Alliance, 
British Defense Minister George Robertson, says 
members must clarify NATO's goals and do a better job 
of managing their money and manpower.  Mr. Robertson 
spoke in Toronto where alliance defense ministers are 
gathered to talk about the lessons of the Kosovo air 
war and the future of NATO.  V-O-A's Jim Randle 
reports the talks come at a time when many NATO 
members are cutting military budgets. 

TEXT:  Britain's George Robertson says one lesson from 
Kosovo is that smaller forces and lighter equipment 
are needed so they can be sent quickly to trouble 
spots and keep bad situations from becoming 
catastrophes.  He says such forces will not be 
effective unless they are armed with the most advanced 
weapons available -- and that, he says, is expensive.  

            ///ROBERTSON ACT /// 

      I think that Kosovo has shown people, for real, 
      that this world is going to be more dangerous, 
      and that defense is not some luxury that can be 
      cut in times of trouble.  But it is a key part 
      of national security, and I think people are 
      responding very much to that message. 

            /// END ACT ///

Mr. Robertson will become NATO's Secretary General 
next month.  He spoke to reporters in Toronto briefly 
after a breakfast meeting with U-S Defense Secretary 
William Cohen.  Mr. Cohen says the NATO alliance will 
try to save money for purchasing new weapons by 
limiting the number of places it dispatches troops and 
planes.

            ///  COHEN ACT /// 

      What we are trying to do is not necessarily 
      spend more money but to spend money more wisely.   

            /// END ACT ///

NATO leaders gathered in Toronto say they will discuss 
ways to cut the current 31-thousand member 
peacekeeping force in Bosnia by about one third.  The 
Bosnia deployments have cost billions of dollars at a 
time when an even larger NATO-led force is moving into 
Kosovo to stop bloodshed there. 

Europe is home to several multi-national forces, and 
Mr. Robertson says better coordination between them 
and NATO could save money.

Both Mr. Cohen and Mr. Robertson say more savings 
could come from reforming the way new weapons are 
bought. Mr. Robertson says too many nations are 
spending money developing exactly the same kind of 
equipment.

            ///  ROBERTSON ACT  /// 

      A lot of money is being spent by the European 
      countries, but we don't get the capability.  We 
      tend to compete with each other, duplicate with 
      each other.  And I think that most of the 
      European members of NATO are recognizing that 
      that is not the best way of dealing with 
      tomorrow's threats.  We've got to be much more 
      sophisticated about what we spend on, and make 
      sure the value is their for the taxpayers' 
      money. 

            /// END ACT ///

NATO leaders were greeted by protests when they 
arrived Monday, as a few of Canada's 100-thousand 
ethnic Serbs used signs and chants to criticize NATO's 
78 day bombing campaign against Serb targets all 
across Yugoslavia.  NATO's talks are scheduled to 
continue here through Wednesday.  (SIGNED). 

NEB/JR/BK



21-Sep-1999 11:10 AM LOC (21-Sep-1999 1510 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
.