At the end of this month, on 28 and 29 November, NATO leaders meet in
I very much hope that
There is, however, one issue that could still keep
Participation in the Partnership for Peace is in many ways the Euro-Atlantic equivalent of signing a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union. It is in effect the first step on the road to NATO membership. And the prospect of eventual membership of the European Union and NATO is the key to a safe and secure future for
The Partnership for Peace was created in 1994 by my former colleague in the German government, Manfred Woerner, when he was NATO Secretary General. It was, and remains, a highly innovative programme designed to facilitate cooperation with partner countries to extend the zone of peace and stability in
Every PfP member must make a number of political commitments to preserve democratic societies; to maintain the principles of international law; to fulfil obligations under the UN charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Helsinki Final Act and international disarmament and arms-control agreements; to refrain from the threat or use of force against other states; to respect existing borders; and to settle disputes peacefully.
PfP members also make specific commitments to promote transparency in national defence planning and budgeting in order to establish democratic control over armed forces, and to develop the capacity for joint action with NATO in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations.
In return, NATO provides a comprehensive cooperation programme and the Allies commit to consulting with any Partner country that perceives a direct threat to its territorial integrity, its political independence or its security. In addition, partner countries are entitled to have their own representations at NATO Headquarters and to participate in the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, a broader forum for dialogue and consultation on political and security-related issues that is also at NATO Headquarters.
For those countries that aspire to be NATO members, the Partnership for Peace is also a first step towards participating in the Membership Action Plan, which is a tailored programme preparing partner countries for membership.
NATO has already overseen a remarkable transformation of
The manner in which these reforms have been implemented, through the political and professional commitment of stakeholders right across the country’s defence establishment led by Defence Minister Nikola Radovanovic, will serve as an excellent preparation for PfP membership.
But cooperation with The Hague Tribunal is not yet satisfactory, and this will prevent further progress. Specifically, the authorities of Republika Srpska must do what they are morally and legally obliged to do. Among other things, they must demonstrate in a practical and measurable way that they are doing everything possible to assist in the arrest of war-crimes suspects who are still at liberty. When they do that,
Christian Schwarz-Schilling is the international community’s High Representative and European Union Special Representative in