Roth resolution addresses NATO summit's agenda (05/09/99)

Roth resolution addresses NATO summit's agenda

WASHINGTON - Sen. William V. Roth Jr. (R-Del.) joined several Senate colleagues in a resolution addressing the agenda of NATO's 50th anniversary summit, which took place April 28.

The resolution, which honors the 50th anniversary of the alliance, strongly reaffirms the commitment of the United States to NATO and supports the process of NATO enlargement. It also calls upon the European allies to further develop their armed forces to facilitate better trans-Atlantic burden sharing and urges NATO leaders to initiate a comprehensive review of the credentials of those European states that have applied for NATO membership.

In a floor statement, Sen. Roth, who chairs the Senate NATO Observer Group, made the following points.

Calling them a "poison pill for the alliance," the senator criticized proposals that would require NATO to attain a United Nations mandate for out-of-area operations.
The senator urged the European allies to dedicate the resources necessary to "rapidly deploy forces over long distances, sustain operations for extended periods of time and operate jointly with the United States in high intensity conflicts."
On NATO enlargement, the senator said it must be "a continuous, not a conclusive, process." Toward that end, he called upon NATO to invite Slovenia, and any other qualified NATO European applicant to accession negotiations.
The senator stated that NATO cannot simply reiterate longstanding promises; it must yield a process." He outlined the benefits that NATO would accrue by initiating a comprehensive and transparent review of the candidates of those European countries seeking alliance membership.

The resolution was introduced by Sen. Richard Lugar (R-lnd.). Cosponsors include Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.), Sens. DeWine (R-Ohio), Hagel (R-Neb.), Lieberman (D-Conn.) and Voinovich (R-Ohio).

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