07 October 1997
(Says she will insist that allies share burden fairly) (820) By Susan Ellis USIA Congressional Correspondent Washington -- The cost of enlarging NATO "is real but affordable," Secretary of State Albright told the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations October 7. Albright said she would insist that "our old allies share this burden fairly." In consultations with U.S. allies, she added, the main focus "needs to be on defining the level of military capability we want our old and new allies to have...and then making sure that they commit to that level. We must spend no more than we must, but no less than we need to keep NATO strong." In reference to Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, Committee Chairman Senator Jesse Helms said he is convinced the three new democracies seeking NATO membership are "ready and willing to pay their fair share." But, he added: "We must now make certain that our present NATO allies are likewise willing to fulfill their end of the bargain." Helms contended that current NATO members expect the United States to pay the "lion's share" of costs related to enlargement. Approval of NATO enlargement by the U.S. Senate "may very well succeed or fail on the question of whether you can dissuade our allies of that notion," Helms said. (Two-thirds of the Senate must give its "advice and consent" to amend the North Atlantic Treaty to accept the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland into the trans-Atlantic alliance.) Albright responded that the U.S. is working with the NATO allies to produce a common estimate of cost-sharing to be considered at the North Atlantic Council meeting in December. Acknowledging that there are "serious people" who estimate far higher costs of NATO enlargement than the administration, she said the U.S. estimate is "premised on the current, favorable security environment in Europe....Obviously, if a grave threat were to arise, the cost of enlargement would rise. But then so would the cost of our entire defense budget." In respect to the three new candidates for NATO membership -- Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic -- Albright continued: "I am certain our prospective allies are willing and able to pay their share, because in the long run it will be cheaper for them to upgrade their forces within the alliance than outside it." Addressing the concern of some Americans that enlargement could "dilute NATO" by adding too may members involved in too many missions, Albright stressed that "only the strongest" candidates were asked to join the alliance, and said "nothing about enlargement will change NATO's core mission, which remains the collective defense of NATO soil." On the subject of Bosnia, the secretary of state noted concerns that a debate on continued U.S. engagement there after next June might overlap with the debate on NATO expansion. She said debate on the two issues "cannot be separated" and that "both are aimed at building a stable, undivided Europe." She added: "It was our experience in Bosnia that proved the fundamental premise of our enlargement stategy: there are still threats to peace and security in Europe that only NATO can meet. It was in Bosnia that our prospective allies proved they are ready to take responsibility for the security of others." Also in Bosnia, Albright continued, "We proved NATO and Russian troops can work together." Commenting on other issues related to NATO-Russian relations, Albright said that although Russian opposition to NATO enlargement is real, "instead of changing our policies to accommodate Russia's outdated fears, we need to encourage Russia's more modern aspirations (toward democracy). "This means we should remain Russia's most steadfast champion whenever it seeks to define its greatness by joining rule-based institutions, opening its markets, and participating constructively in world affairs." As examples of this, Albright cited reformers' gains in the Russian government, culminating in agreement to pursue deeper arms reductions, and Russia's full partnership at the Summit of the Eight in Denver and membership in the Paris Club of major international lenders. Senator Joseph Biden, ranking Democrat on the committee, also stressed the need for America's European and Canadian partners in NATO to bear "their fair share of enlargement costs." He noted new sources of instability in post-Cold War Europe, including "ethnic and religious conflict, international crime, drugs (and) possible threats to Middle East oil supplies." At the same time, he said, "Europeans, left to themselves, have proven sadly incapable of settling their differences peacefully. The United States must lead in creating a new 'security architecture' for the continent." Biden said the choice is not whether to enlarge NATO because "the status quo is not an option." If NATO were not to enlarge, the countries in the region would seek to create other alliances, which could alter the current strategic balance in Europe, he concluded.