At the Atlantic Council of Canada Toronto 12 Feb. 1999

"Transatlantic Relations in the 21st Century" Speech by Dr. Javier Solana, NATO Secretary General Mesdames, Messieurs, Je suis trs heureux de me trouver ici, Toronto. Pour deux raisons. D'abord, bien entendu, parce que j'ai l'occasion de m'adresser un minent auditoire canadien. Ensuite parce que ma venue Toronto se situe un moment o l'quipe des Maple Leafs est en tte de la Ligue nationale de hockey! Il est toujours bon d'tre tmoin d'vnements historiques! Bien sr, si je me trouve ici, c'est pour parler d'un autre vnement historique qui aura lieu cette anne : le cinquantime anniversaire de l'OTAN. En avril, les Chefs d'Etat et de gouvernement des pays de l'OTAN se runiront Washington pour clbrer le cinquantime anniversaire de la signature du Trait de l'Atlantique Nord. Il est tout fait opportun, de nombreux gards, que le Sommet ait lieu Washington. D'abord, videmment, parce que c'est l que le Trait de l'Atlantique Nord a t sign, en 1949. Mais aussi parce que ce choix symbolise ce qui est la caractristique mme de l'OTAN : la volont ferme et constante des Nord-Amricains pour aider soutenir la paix et la stabilit en Europe. Et, tout au long de ce sicle, le Canada a jou un rle cl, un rle central dans la dmonstration de cette volont. On pourrait caractriser la contribution du Canada la scurit europenne par trois phases distinctes. La premire phase est antrieure la cration de l'OTAN. C'tait une phase ractive : avant 1945, les Canadiens sont venus combattre deux reprises en Europe pour dfendre la libert alors que la guerre avait dj clat sur le Vieux Continent. Eloign de quelques kilomtres seulement de mon bureau au sige de l'OTAN Bruxelles, se trouve un cimetire o reposent des dizaines de soldats canadiens qui ont donn leur vie au cours de la Premire Guerre mondiale. Il existe des centaines de cimetires pareils celui-l dans toute l'Europe occidentale; plus de 100.000 Canadiens ont fait le sacrifice ultime pour servir la cause de la paix en Europe au cours de ces deux guerres. Nous autres Europens n'avons pas oubli ce sacrifice. Tous ces cimetires sont rgulirement entretenus. L'histoire de ces hommes est enseigne dans toutes nos coles. Et mme aujourd'hui, lorsqu'on clbre la Libration en Belgique et en Hollande, chaque Canadien peut tre assur de se voir offrir un verre de bire et une poigne de main reconnaissante! Tant de Canadiens ont risqu leur vie parce que le Canada a une certitude : les peuples d'Amrique du Nord et d'Europe font partie d'une seule et mme communaut. Une communaut dont tous les membres sont pris de libert, de paix, de dmocratie et de justice sociale. Il s'agit galement d'une communaut rsolue agir lorsqu'il devient ncessaire de dfendre ces valeurs. En 1949, face la menace croissante laquelle l'Europe occidentale se trouvait confronte, le Canada a modifi sa prsence en Europe au service de la scurit. Au lieu de se replier sur son territoire et de ragir simplement un conflit, comme c'tait le cas au cours de la priode antrieure la cration de l'OTAN, le Canada, comme les Etats-Unis, a dcid de rester en Europe occidentale et par l-mme de contribuer prvenir le dclenchement d'un conflit. Les deux pays ont choisi d'tre membres fondateurs de l'Alliance de l'Atlantique Nord. L'OTAN est le mcanisme par lequel le Canada et les Etats-Unis se sont engags contribuer au maintien de la scurit de l'Europe occidentale sur le long terme. Ceci a marqu le dbut de la seconde phase de la contribution que le Canada apporte, en tant qu'Alli loyal, la scurit euro-atlantique. Ce lien transatlantique, tabli par l'intermdiaire de l'OTAN, a eu deux avantages. Tout d'abord, il a contribu offrir une garantie de scurit l'Europe occidentale alors qu'elle s'attaquait l'norme tche de la reconstruction. Cette renaissance a t bnfique aussi bien pour l'Europe que pour l'Amrique du Nord. Aujourd'hui, l'Union europenne est le second partenaire commercial du Canada, et le second investisseur dans ce pays. Le deuxime avantage long terme de la relation transatlantique au cours des cinquante dernires annes a t politique. La prsence politique constante et ferme de l'Amrique du Nord en Europe a contribu inculquer le concept d'une communaut atlantique qui s'tend bien au-del du domaine de la scurit et qui profite tous ses membres. Quand la guerre froide s'est termine, quelques critiques ont pourtant laiss entendre que l'Amrique du Nord et l'Europe n'avaient plus besoin l'une de l'autre. Selon cette logique, l'Alliance pouvait se dissoudre, et l'Europe et l'Amrique du Nord suivre chacune leur chemin. Au cours de la dernire dcennie, il s'est avr que ces critiques avaient tort. Ils se sont tromps car ils ont ignor que l'OTAN n'est pas seulement une organisation de dfense collective. Elle repose, de manire fondamentale et permanente, sur le dsir commun de ses membres de prserver et de renforcer leur scurit et leur stabilit mutuelles. En fait, le Canada a dploy tous ses efforts, en 1949, pour s'assurer que l'OTAN consacre ce principe. Le Canada a contribu la rdaction de l'Article 2 du Trait de l'Atlantique Nord qui engageait, en 1949 dj, les Allis contribuer au dveloppement de relations internationales pacifiques et amicales et promouvoir les conditions propres assurer la stabilit et le bien-tre. Comme l'a dclar Lester Pearson devant le Parlement canadien, au cours du dbat sur la ratification, "C'est pourquoi ce pacte est un instrument de paix. Il favorisera l'instauration des conditions de stabilit et de scurit dans lesquelles la paix peut s'panouir." Toutefois, dans l'environnement de scurit actuel, il n'est plus possible de promouvoir la stabilit et la scurit de manire ractive ou passive. Il faut agir de manire dynamique. Le renforcement de la scurit suppose que l'on tablisse de nouveaux partenariats avec les anciens adversaires, que l'on favorise la scurit ncessaire au dveloppement conomique, et que l'on aide les nouvelles dmocraties, fragiles, se renforcer. Cela suppose galement une prvention des conflits et une gestion des crises, lorsqu'elles clatent et peuvent avoir une incidence sur la scurit des Allis. Ladies and Gentlemen, We are, today, beginning the third phase of North America's involvement in European security. Through NATO, Canada and the United States, along with their European Allies, are actively building peace and security across the whole of Euro-Atlantic area, spanning from Finland to Italy, from Canada to Central Asia. In so doing, NATO is helping to spread across Central and Eastern Europe the same peace, stability and prosperity that Western Europe have enjoyed for the past 50 years. Over the last ten years, NATO has been adapting its structures and policies to take on this new role. We will be issuing a new Strategic Concept at the Washington Summit that takes these adaptations into account, and guides the new NATO into the 21st Century. Perhaps the most obvious manifestation of the new NATO in Washington will be the number of national flags flying: nineteen, instead of sixteen. By April, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Hungary and the Republic of Poland will formally be members of the Alliance. Through enlargement, the Alliance extends concretely the zone of stability and security it represents - just as the EU enlargement process will extend its prosperity and political stability. And I congratulate Canadians on demonstrating your commitment to this principle by being the first NATO nation to ratify the accession protocols of the three invitees. This round of enlargement is only part of an on-going process. At the Summit, we will unveil new measures designed to help aspirant countries meet NATO standards, and thereby enhance their prospects of admission. At the same time, we will enhance our relations with all non-NATO countries across Europe. Five years ago, NATO set up the Partnership for Peace Programme. It has already proven an invaluable means to help restructure the armed-forces of countries formerly belonging to the Warsaw Pact, to help them find their appropriate place in modern democratic societies, and to engage in practical cooperation. This, too, enhances stability far outside NATO territory. And Canada is playing a key role in that process, both within the Alliance, and through your national Military Training Assistance Programme. At the Summit, we will continue the real progress we have made towards building a Europe where military forces exist not to confront, but to cooperate with each other. Of course, one very important partnership is the new, positive relationship between NATO and Russia. In 1997, NATO and Russia established the Permanent Joint Council. Today, only two years later, Russia and NATO consult regularly on current security issues such as Bosnia and Kosovo, nuclear safety and disarmament. We are also deepening our programme of practical cooperation. The year ahead promises even greater cooperation. Ukraine, like Russia, occupies a crucial place in Europe. The ability of this newly independent country to survive and flourish is crucial to long-term stability in Europe. NATO and Ukraine have developed a distinctive relationship, covering a wide range of security-related cooperation. We have developed a work programme which covers such important issues as cooperation in peacekeeping and defence reform. Canada plays a leading role within the Alliance in its relations with Ukraine. Indeed, with the largest Ukrainian Diaspora in the world, you are well placed to do so! For example, your bilateral embassy in Kyiv serves as the NATO Contact Embassy, and played a vital role in the negotiations of the NATO-Ukraine Charter signed in Madrid in 1997. These new partnerships will go a long way to building long-term peace across Europe. Unfortunately, there are still security challenges to be faced now. We need to ensure that we are capable of meeting them. As the war in Bosnia showed us, conflicts can still break out in Europe - conflicts that not only cause enormous human suffering, but also threaten wider European stability. NATO has therefore adapted its policies and structures to carry out conflict prevention and crisis management operations. NATO's force posture and command structure, for example, have been significantly modified since the days of the Cold War. Today, security challenges can come in many forms, and from many directions. NATO's forces have, therefore, been adapted to be more flexible. At the Summit, we will launch a defence capabilities initiative to improve the capabilities of our forces to move great distance, quickly, and then be sustained while in the field. The NATO Flying Training Programme in Canada will go a long way to improving Alliance flexibility and interoperability, and I congratulate you on it. Weapons of mass destruction could pose a risk to our troops deployed on peacekeeping missions, and potentially to our populations. That is why we are preparing a Summit initiative to improve NATO's response to this security challenge. In the Balkans, we are seeing a preview of how NATO will meet the challenges of the 21st century: in a collective, determined and flexible manner. NATO's practical partnerships made it possible for 20 non-NATO countries to deploy, and operate, with NATO forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Russian and Ukrainian troops are working side by side with their NATO counterparts to help implement the Dayton Peace Accords. NATO's role in the Kosovo crisis also demonstrates the importance of our new military flexibility. As this crisis has evolved, so have NATO's efforts to manage and end it. The Alliance has supported neighbouring countries such as Albania and former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia against instability through the Partnership for Peace. NATO's Air Verification Mission is helping to verify compliance with international agreements. And NATO's Extraction Force is supporting OSCE verifiers on the ground. After repeated violations by both sides of UN Security Council resolutions and other international obligations, NATO decided to issue a strong warning to the parties to comply without further delay. This threat of force convinced the parties to the conflict to begin negotiations toward a sustainable peace under international mediation in Rambouillet, France. NATO fully supports these peace efforts and has begun contingency planning in the event we are called upon to help implement a settlement, including with ground forces. NATO's operations in the Balkans are important not only because they help keep the peace in an area that has historically seen too little of that. They also demonstrate clearly once again what is often forgotten: that sometimes, peace requires the capability and the willingness to use force. These operations are also important because they demonstrate the extent to which NATO's activities help further long-standing Canadian foreign policy goals. For example, Canada has always believed in taking action to keep the peace. Canada was one of the first countries on the ground in Bosnia under UNPROFOR - before many European countries, in fact. And let me mention that your consistent support for the United Nations makes Canada's present tenure as the Chair of the Security Council well deserved indeed. That commitment to keep the peace was also demonstrated when the UN mission in Bosnia was replaced by the NATO-led mission. 1,200 Canadian soldiers are now serving in SFOR, and are performing to their usual high standards of professionalism and effectiveness. And Canada is also providing personnel to help solve the Kosovo crisis, both with the OSCE in the province itself, and with the Extraction Force in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Canada has also led the global efforts to fight the serious problem of land mines. NATO's operation in Bosnia is providing the secure environment to allow a major UN de-mining operation to take place, an operation to which Canada contributes, of course. And NATO is now working with its Partner countries on an initiative to boost de-mining efforts across Central and Eastern Europe, including assisting Partners in destroying their stocks of mines. Canadians have always believed deeply in international law and human rights. This principle is exemplified in the fine work of Madame Justice Louise Arbour, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. The Parties to the Dayton Accords are responsible for arresting and turning over the persons she indicts, but NATO forces are playing an increasing role in helping to bring accused war criminals where they belong - in front of Madame Arbour, in the Hague. Ladies and Gentlemen, These examples demonstrate why the transatlantic link remains so healthy, and so vital. The transatlantic relationship remains the most successful example of a community of shared values and interests, and pragmatic problem-solving. We share a strong commitment to democratic values, a desire to help those less fortunate than ourselves, and effective military tools to cope with new challenges. We must preserve this commitment, politically, militarily, and economically. As NATO takes on the increasingly complex and challenging demands of peacebuilding, it remains vitally important that all the Allies - including Canada - devote the manpower, equipment and funding necessary to maintain effective military forces. If we truly want to build peace and security, we must match our words with the deeds and resources to back them up. And the return is well worth the investment. Working together, the North American and the European Allies can assist in establishing a democratic and prosperous Eastern Europe, support the democratic transformation of Russia and Ukraine, help prevent and manage conflicts, and help combat proliferation. These are the goals of the "transatlantic relationship of the 21st century". The Washington Summit, and the Meeting of Defence Ministers here in Toronto later this year, serve as vivid symbols of that relationship. Throughout this century, Canada has been an essential part of the Atlantic community. Today, we stand on the threshold of a new century - a century in which NATO will help fulfil our common goals of peace and security. I congratulate Canada on the role it is playing in the Alliance today, and the role it will play in the NATO of the next century.