Reykjavik, Iceland 15 May 2002

EAPC's role in the international fight against terrorism Address by Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic H.E. Mr. Eduard Kukan In the last few years the viability and relevance of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council was tested on more than one occasion. The developments after September 11 have best proved that the EAPC is a valuable tool for NATO - Partner consultation and security cooperation even in the most difficult situations. Terrorism is becoming a real global threat and security challenge for the 21st century. The events of 11 September revealed its vast potential for destruction, means, resources and globe-spanning network, which exceeded our imagination. The response to the hyper-terrorism must be unified. No single country can effectively fight terrorism all alone. That is why it was only natural that after attacks against the United States the EAPC countries immediately joined together in a unique coalition of 46 nations in the fight against terrorism and underlined their resolve to make full use of the EAPC/PfP framework to coordinate their practical activities and measures in this area. This resolve represent a solid basis for defining a concrete and stable role for the EAPC in the global war against terrorism and for adapting its mechanisms and procedures to the new security challenges and needs. We should not be too ambitious however in inventing new mechanisms and trying to fix something that works. We need to concentrate on effectively using what the EAPC already provides. The recent developments in the war against terrorism taught us several lessons that can be applied to using the EAPC format in the fight against terrorism more effectively in the future: There are no countries, which are more or less important in this struggle regardless of their size or military potential. No offer of contribution or political support should be disregarded. We never know when this help might become indispensable for the success of the operation. In this aspect the EAPC, through its existence, became a reliable tool for equal partnership and cooperation, which is namely based on above mentioned criteria and principles, tested in Balkans by NATO and its partners in SFOR, AFOR and KFOR. Our reinforced contribution to KFOR mission in Kosovo with our Czech friends and the foreseen formation of the Slovak-Polish-Czech Mechanized Brigade for peace operations led by NATO and EU which should be operational by the end of 2005 are the concrete examples of working principles of sharing responsibility for security and stability in Euro-Atlantic area, what is also the aim of the EAPC. We learned a lot after September 11th What is most important however is that we learned to work together even more closely and effectively, which is an important benefit for the future because the war against terrorism promises to be a long, hard struggle. It can be effective only if a strong, united coalition against terrorism continues working together in common fight and when the struggle is fought on all fronts - legal, political, diplomatic, military and socio- economic, through coordinated policies of the democratic nations. We see no better forum for consultation and coordination of policies of 46 nations from North America to the countries of Central Asia in this regard than the EAPC. It could be a driving force for increased synergy in political efforts and initiatives within the framework of international organizations. The process of consultations and coordination of activities in fighting terrorism must be comprehensive. It should involve various agencies that play an important role in making the life of the terrorist "miserable" and their maneuvering space extremely limited: ministries of justice, interior, finances, intelligence services etc. We think that sharing national experiences and practices in fighting terrorism in various areas among experts from various agencies and institutions of EAPC countries should be an important feature of EAPC work in the nearest future and should contribute to the success of the global war on terrorism. It might be interesting also to explore the idea of EAPC meetings attended by ministers of interior, chiefs of intelligence or experts from agencies dealing nationally with terrorism, home land defense, non-proliferation, border control etc. The Warsaw Seminar was a good start, which should be followed up vigorously. We welcome the idea of the Partnership Action Plan Against Terrorism. It might address various aspects of the contributions of the EAPC countries to common fight against terrorism. We think that the Plan might reflect also the idea of elaborating the compendium on national legislation or practices in fighting terrorism and idea of establishment of a network of experts dealing with various aspects: of combating terrorism in EAPC countries similar to a network established for an immediate response to civil emergencies by the EADRCC. Slovakia is ready in this regard to share with other EAPC countries its experience from the comprehensive reform of her security system which helped us to improve our capabilities to respond to terrorism and other security threats and to contribute to the common fight. There is of course also the military dimension of cooperation in fighting terrorism which should be explored more deeply within the EAPC and PfP but I would better leave it for our colleagues, defense ministers to discuss the military assets and capabilities needed for effectively combating terrorism next month in Brussels- On the other hand we all have to bear in mind that adequate financial resources are essential to accomplish our goals in this area. We think that an important part of the EAPC activities should also be its out-reach activities and contacts with countries of the neighboring regions, especially the Mediterranean and Central Asia. The projection of positive experience and example from security reform processes and cooperation (including the fight against terrorism) among the EAPC countries could serve as an important instrument for advancing the EAPC goals and priorities. That is why we think that the Mediterranean dialogue which is now being conducted only in the "NATO plus" format could be, if appropriate, expanded also to the EAPC. In conclusion I would like to stress again that the Slovak Republic sees an important value in the EAPC for addressing the security issues of the Euro-Atlantic area. In our opinion, in the run up to the Washington Summit, the issue of using the EAPC as an important tool in the war against terrorism should be a constant item of agenda in EAPC meetings on various levels to provide to our leaders in Prague with the best advice on how to best use the EAPC potential in addressing this most urgent security challenge of the beginning of the 11st century. I hope this discussion will be a good source of inspiration and ideas for advancing the excellent work done by the International Secretariat in the Chairman's Report on the Role of the EAPC in Response to Terrorism. I can promise here that Slovakia is going to be an active element within the EAPC even after it becomes a full member of the Alliance because we believe that the EAPC has a future and a stable place in the Euro-Atlantic security architecture.