US Vice President Dick Cheney voiced his country's support for Albania, Croatia and Macedonia in their bid to join NATO, saying they would "help rejuvenate" the 57-year-old Alliance.
"The Adriatic Charter countries have expressed the desire for joining the transatlantic community and we support that," Cheney said Sunday before meeting the premiers of the three countries in the southern Adriatic town of Dubrovnik.
"We understand the desire to join NATO and the European community. We also believe that it's very important for both NATO and the EU to take in the new members," Cheney said. He spoke before meeting his Croatian host Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and his Albanian and Macedonian counterparts Sali Berisha and Vlado Buckovski.
"You who aspire to join these organisations help rejuvenate (them) and help us re-dedicate ourselves to the basic and fundamental values of freedom and democracy," he stressed.
Cheney also praised the three countries for their cooperation alongside NATO and US forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Croatia, Macedonia and Albania signed an "Adriatic Charter" with the United States in May 2003 designed to facilitate their integration into the North Atlantic Alliance. The three countries hope to join by 2008.
The three premiers stressed that NATO membership figured among the top priorities for their countries.
"Membership in NATO is a strategic goal of my nation. Croatia is aware that peace and security can not be achieved in isolation," Sanader said before the meeting.
Berisha echoed Sanader's view, stressing that NATO membership was his country's "top priority."
After the talks with Cheney Sanader labelled his visit as "important support to Croatia, but also Albania and Macedonia, on our path towards the EU and NATO."
Sanader also voiced hope that during a NATO summit, to be held in Riga in November, the three countries would be given a more precise timetable for their membership in the Alliance.
"We voiced our expectations that during the November summit in Riga a clear signal would be sent ... to our countries that in some time, rather soon and better sooner than later, we will become full-fledged NATO members," Sanader told journalists after the meeting.
The three Balkan countries also voiced their readiness to take part in the global fight against terrorism.
On Saturday Cheney met Croatian President Stipe Mesic and Sanader.
Cheney's talks with Mesic focused on Zagreb's bid to join NATO and the fight against terrorism.
Croatia, like other Balkan states, is anxious to demonstrate to NATO and the European Union that it meets their standards.
Cheney was due originally to leave on Monday at the end of a trip which has taken him to Lithuania and Kazakhstan. But his press spokeswoman said Saturday his return to Washington had been moved forward to Sunday. The change did not curtail the talks foreseen here.
Croatia, Albania and Macedonia are members of NATO's Partnership for Peace programme.
The programme was set up after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of communism in central and eastern Europe, to establish military cooperation between the former Soviet bloc states and NATO countries, together with European neutrals.
But public support in Croatia for NATO membership is very low, with only 29 percent in favour, according to a recent opinion poll.
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8 comments:
US backs Albania, Croatia, Macedonia NATO bid
Go European cubs!
Who cares? NATO really stands as a derelict of a time past. The USSR is gone, and if you forget Serbia and Albo's were on the same side then too. Idiots. NATO's time has come and gone.
Also interesting was that the US wants these nations not to allow US troops be prosecuted under international law.
According to Croatian reports this subject was not menitioned when Mesic met up with the neo con administration.
konaction hoping to find an open minded Serbian person when openly lies about the current Serbian adminisation being nazi?
What do you expect? As for Kosovo entering the EU before Serbia I say look for independent international comment on that matter. They say for Kosovo could be upto 20 years. For Serbia another 10.
Its not a matter to gloat about. Its pitiful to be in this situation. Of course if Yugoslavia had remained we would all already be in the EU.
NATO is pointless genocidal mademn Wesley Clark
Everyday I wake up praying I will not hear or read about moron Serbs preaching the innocents of their actions is Kosovo and even bigger Albanian morons who try to reason with the other morons! Yet, here you go again!
People just drop it, and enjoy the independence and freedom no matter who others characterize it.
ohmy god, what is this? can we start to have real conversations please? Ivan why do you write Siptari in the beggining of the sentence, when no one insulted you, in the prior sentence. Do you know that Albanians calle the serbians SHKA, which means skum, and yet I have never used that here, even if I am tempted. What u fail to understand is even enemies respect each other. So please refrain from that kind of language, not only you but everyone in this blog. That language simply does not compliment the intelegence of a person.
Now to the argument,,,, Nato is actually a very important organization, here is why.. NATO mission statement is AN ATTACK IN A MEMBERS STATE WILL BE TREATED AS AN ATTACK TO ALL MEMBERS, meaning if Croacia is attacked by some state such as RUSSIA, then that would be attack on everyone, therefore RUSSIAS ass would be kicked by everynation that is a members, even though this example is a little examplefied....
RESPECT
Q
You people are Siptari, so where the offense? If someone called me Siptari, yes I would be offended, but I am not Albo. Bunch of whiney ass pussies...
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