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 NATO Headquarters
Brussels, Belgium
                                                    13 June 2001
 

Remarks by President Bush 
at the NATO Headquarter

 

  (...) As one of our close allies noted, the world is changing around us, and NATO's great strength has been a willingness to adapt and move  forward. Another noted, NATO is a defensive alliance and, thus, an increasingly important role should be played by defensive systems to protect all our  citizens from terrorist blackmail. 

Secondly, we agreed that we must reach out to Russian leaders, and  to a new Russian generation, with a message that Russia does have a future  with Europe. The United States will seek to build this strategic framework  with Russia. Now that Russia has recognized a weapons of mass destruction  threat to Europe, future cooperative work on a new strategic framework could  be a great task which brings NATO and Russia together. 

Third, we agreed on the need to commit the resources that will allow NATO's force to do their jobs. The decline in defense spending  amongst NATO nations must be reversed. And when we do spend, we must  spend wisely. It shouldn't be a question of whether to buy American or buy  European, it should be a question of how to buy transatlantic. North American  and European companies should collaborate to produce the most advanced  systems at the lowest costs. 

We agreed that NATO and the European Union must work in  common purpose. It is in NATO's interest for the European Union to develop a  rapid reaction capability. A strong, capable European force integrated with  NATO would give us more options for handling crises when NATO, as a  whole, chooses not to engage. NATO must be generous in the help it gives  the EU. And similarly, the EU must welcome participation by NATO allies  who are not members of the EU. And we must not waste scarce resources, duplicating effort or working at cross purposes. Our work together in  the Balkans shows how much the 23 nations of NATO and the EU can  achieve when we combine our efforts. 

Our work together in the Balkans reminds me that I'm going to  commit to the line that Colin Powell said: We came in together, and we will leave together. It is the pledge of our government, and it's a pledge that I will  keep. 

We agreed that we must face down extremists in Macedonia and  elsewhere who seek to use violence to redraw borders or subvert the democratic  process.

Concerning Bosnia and Kosovo, we agreed that this is a major  effort, an effort that we will continue to work together on. 

Fifth, and finally, we agreed that NATO must prepare for further enlargement of the Alliance. All aspiring members have work to do.  Yet, if they continue to make the progress they are making, we will be able to  launch the next round of enlargement when we meet in Prague. 

We agreed that all European democracies that seek to join our ranks  and meet our standards should have the opportunity to do so without red  lines or outside vetoes. We must never lose sight of what NATO does and  what it stands for, how it safeguards prosperity and protects democracy in an ever-widening Europe. Let us then be true to the great vision of our  fathers and grandfathers, is what I said; the preservation of peace by democratic leadership, the defense of freedom through collective strength. (...)