At the Press Conference after the Meeting of the North Atlantic Council NATO HQ, Brussels 7 June 2001 Audio (.MP3/4.527Mb)

Statement by NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to NATO. Before I get into the substance of the discussion among Defence Ministers, I would like to address the situation in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1). The incidents and the resulting developments of the past few days are a matter of deep concern to me, and to the NATO Ministers who are here today. We deplore the killing of soldiers by ethnic Albanian rebels. And we condemn the barbaric actions of the armed thugs who are using intimidation and violence in an effort to undermine a democracy. They may fancy themselves as supporting the local population; but they will only bring suffering and misery to themselves and to their communities. The aspirations of the ethnic Albanian community can only be fulfilled through a genuine dialogue involving the legitimate representatives of all communities. Dialogue, and not destruction, is the only way forward. The government in Skopje must remain united in the face of aggression and must make use only of proportionate military force necessary to respond to attacks from extremists. Significant progress on the political front must be registered soon, and I know that the government is working very hard on a number of important measures in this field at the moment. They have NATO's full support for this endeavour. Now, if I can turn to our discussions today, I want to say that this has been a productive and very friendly meeting. NATO is united, cohesive, and doing what it does best - consulting closely on matters that affect the common security of all NATO nations. Today's meeting gave Allies the opportunity to continue to engage in a "thinking process" about the challenges posed by the proliferation of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons and their means of delivery. US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld offered us a comprehensive briefing on the nature of threats we face, and U.S. thinking on how to begin to address these threats. Let me just say that his was a very clear, detailed, and thought-provoking briefing. He has helped to focus the issues for all of us. He also reiterated the commitment of the US Administration to consulting closely with its Allies as its thinking on these challenges and on missile defence evolves. Today's discussion brought us further in the process of collective thinking, and we are all looking to continuing and deepening our consultations in the months ahead. Ministers agreed that NATO must increase its efforts to develop the defence capabilities needed for the challenges of the future. Two years after the Washington Summit, and just one-and-a-half years before the Prague Summit, our progress in implementing NATO's Defence Capabilities Initiative has not been good enough. We must do better. Ministers agreed today to give the further implementation of DCI their personal attention. And I will be raising the issue again at the meeting of Presidents and Prime Ministers when they meet here in this building next week. With regard to European Defence, Ministers noted with satisfaction how cooperation between NATO and the European Union on the ground has developed and already produced positive results - especially in southern Serbia and in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1). Those who have said that NATO and the EU are two organisations in the same city, but on different planets, will have to start changing their tune. Because NATO and the EU are already working together effectively in some areas, and this will clearly grow in time. That said, Ministers agreed there is still much to do, especially in finalising arrangements for Alliance support for EU-led operations. We are confident that this will be achieved very soon. Ministers also approved the six month reviews for the Stablisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Kosovo Force in Kosovo. They concluded that while a small reduction in troop levels in SFOR may be possible, no change will be made in the size and structure of KFOR. Let me stress, however, that although we will adjust somewhat the level of SFOR troops, there is no change to NATO's commitment to seeing the job through in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as in Kosovo. We went into the Balkans together; we are going to succeed in the Balkans together; and we will come out, when we are ready, together. I will stop here, and would be pleased to take your questions. Turkey recognises the Republic of Macedonia with its constitutional name.