Two more countries to join NATO - three left waiting available

Europe News

Apr 2, 2008, 22:32 GMT

Bucharest - NATO is set to take in two new members, Croatia and Albania, but alliance leaders on Wednesday sidestepped a confrontation with Russia by leaving Ukraine and Georgia waiting on the doorstep. Albania's Prime Minister Sali Berisha (R) is welcomed by his Romanian counterpart Calin Popescu Tariceanu (L) during the NATO Summit conference in Bucharest, Romania, 02 April 2008. NATO leaders meeting in Bucharest today were expected to invite Albania and Croatia into their alliance while placing Macedonia's ambitions on hold owing to a name dispute with Greece. EPA/GEORGI LICOVSKI

Albania's Prime Minister Sali Berisha (R) is welcomed by his Romanian counterpart Calin Popescu Tariceanu (L) during the NATO Summit conference in Bucharest, Romania, 02 April 2008. NATO leaders meeting in Bucharest today were expected to invite Albania and Croatia into their alliance while placing Macedonia's ambitions on hold owing to a name dispute with Greece. EPA/GEORGI LICOVSKIIn a widely expected move, the leaders of NATO's 26 current member countries, meeting in Bucharest, failed to reach an agreement on Macedonia, with neighbouring Greece blocking its bid to join the alliance over an unresolved dispute over Macedonia's name. 'There is consensus for two of the three countries to be offered invitations to begin accession talks starting tomorrow,' NATO spokesman James Appathurai said. 'I do not expect membership action plans (MAPs) for Georgia and Ukraine at Bucharest,' he said, in a blow both to the two former Soviet republics and to outgoing US President George W Bush, who had lobbied hard on their behalf. At NATO's last summit in 2006 in Riga, alliance leaders sent Albania, Croatia and Macedonia a 'clear signal' that they would be invited into the organization at Bucharest if they met NATO standards. That dream came true Wednesday night for Albania and Croatia. But Macedonia's dream turned into a nightmare as Greece made good on a threat to block the former Yugoslav republic's application for membership until the long-running name issue could be resolved. The row, which dates back to 1991, concerns the use of the word Macedonia. Skopje views it as the legitimate name of the country, but Athens sees the use of the name as implying a territorial claim on its own northern province, also called Macedonia. Talks on the issue are to continue under the auspices of the United Nations, where Macedonia was accepted in 1993 under the interim name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). NATO has made expansion into the Western Balkans one of its top priorities. The alliance conducted its first major military campaign in the region nearly 10 years ago, still has a sizeable peacekeeping operation in Kosovo and consequently views NATO membership as a means of stabilizing that part of South-East Europe. The question of expansion into the former Soviet Union also raised the diplomatic temperature Wednesday, with NATO members torn between strengthening their relationship with Ukraine and Georgia and damaging an already fractious dialogue with Russia. Ahead of the summit, NATO's Eastern European members and US President George W Bush had pushed for the alliance to offer the two countries a road toward membership. 'My country's position is clear: NATO should welcome Georgia and Ukraine into the membership action plan,' he said, a day after visiting Kiev. NATO members France and Germany opposed the bids from the former Soviet republics amid concerns that their inclusion in the alliance would antagonize the Kremlin. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier accused NATO of being a 'spoilt child' and calling its eastward expansion 'artificial' and 'absolutely unnecessary.' Wednesday's move is expected to avoid a major row with Russia when outgoing President Vladimir Putin joins NATO leaders Friday for a top-level meeting between the alliance and Russia. Thursday's discussions in Bucharest are due to turn to issues in Afghanistan, the location of NATO's biggest operation, with some 47,000 soldiers currently deployed. That number looked certain to go up on Wednesday as French President Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed his intentions to send a battalion - around 1,000 men - to Eastern Afghanistan, releasing the US troops currently there for combat operations in the war-torn south. Poland and the Czech Republic have also pledged to send additional troops, while Belgium has promised to commit four extra fighter aircraft. The main thrust of Thursday's meeting is expected to be a discussion on the interaction between military and civilian forces in Afghanistan. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd are among the 60 world leaders set to attend the meeting, together with top representatives of the European Union and the World Bank.

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Reality TodayApr 3rd, 2008 - 00:56:25

Germans by nature are selfish people, and the French by nature are gutless. So it was no wonder how the end if this story would play out.
The Russians threaten and the West backs down. Germany and France have the Eastern nation now as a buffer to Russia. So this is where Nato should draw the line, and place signs saying.... No free people beyond this border. The Germans and French should be proud of their vote today, and it should be remembered for all times in history who voted to stop the spread of Democracy and Freedom.

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makedonecApr 3rd, 2008 - 01:34:41

cela grcko pleme da izumri. Gjupcite nas ke ni sudat dali da vlezime vo Nato ili ne. Eden grk da ne ostani na ovaa planeta

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SpartacusApr 3rd, 2008 - 03:05:04

Thank you Macedonikos for showing the readers the obscene personas
of the Slavic Macedonians. They certainly don't belong in the European
club -at least until they meet minimum civility and a class of character
that characterizes the European social groups. Bon Jour!

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GayreekApr 3rd, 2008 - 06:56:09

Look who's talking, the club's waiter.

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...Apr 3rd, 2008 - 08:15:54

Stop of democracy and freedom...

As if NATO membership would secure democracy in Ukraine and Georgia.

Nonsense that only is logical for someone as smart as George W.

NATO does not shape the political landscape of its member countries. We're talking about NATO , not the UN.

Only the political parties in these countries can do that and NATO membership will not be helpful but harmful for that.

With the majority of people opposing NATO membership in these countries, yes some even hating NATO, a enforced membership would first be anti-democratic and therefore would convince the citizens that democracy is nothing different than communism and second ,bring voter voices to the first extremist pro-russian party who promises them to get out again.

Bush once again tried to act before thinking.

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ChrisApr 3rd, 2008 - 09:03:50

The waiter is the reason that the western civilization exists.

It s too bad only that you do not Know your roots and your history, but thats something that a 'waiter' can not teach you;) basic education is needed to understand that your past if you do not know it becames your future.

Have a good day.

Peace;)

The waiter;)

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RE: reality todayApr 3rd, 2008 - 09:31:22

RE: reality Today

The old Europe has stoped playing the muppets of the imperialism, and the new world order. If bush wants NATO expansion to put his weapons in Europe under the nose of the Russians he can do it without our support.

Just find some nations that holds back to cold war day and they are still afraid of you to push your imperialism further.

And yes if I have to choose I choose Russia. At least if the have done some wars they done it at the borders for their country and not in other lands.

Cold war is over people. We have 2008.

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PoorLittleOsamaApr 3rd, 2008 - 14:52:39

Osama ben aloosen - look Osama everyone is hopefull to become part of NATO. No one but a bunch of dumb cameljocks want to be part of your group. Too bad - stupid little man.

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KukiApr 4th, 2008 - 11:33:40

Greek people is the most Ksenophobic nation that i ever met!

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