|
RRI newsletter subcription
(e-mail address):
|
 |
Archives:
|
|
| THE AGENDA OF A HISTORIC SUMMIT 2/04/2008 |
| (2008-04-02) |
| Last updated: 2008-04-03 17:00 EET |
The summit brings together almost 60 heads of state and government from around the world, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, attending for the first time, the and President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso. 3,000 officials and 3,500 journalists are participating in this event, already dubbed by the media the largest and most important Summit in the history of NATO.
Invited to join the Alliance six years ago, ex-communist and Warsaw Pact member Romania was symbolically chosen to host the event, analyst Dinu Flamand believes, “so as to underscore NATO's victorious march into previously unfriendly territory.” On a more pragmatic note, the American Department of State explains that Romania has deserved to organise this event since 2006, given its contribution to the Alliance's efforts in Afghanistan and to stabilising Iraq, countries were hundreds of Romanian troops were deployed. Afghanistan is in fact high on the Summit’s agenda, as the NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer pointed out:
An eastern border of NATO, and as such directly interested in the enlargement into the Western Balkans and the ex-Soviet space, Romania has its own expectations. President Traian Basescu summarises them:
“We would be quite happy at the end of this Summit if Romania's eastern neighbours, the Western Balkan states, saw their NATO membership aspirations confirmed in the outcome statement. We would also be very pleased if the conclusions of the Summit included long-term solutions for Afghanistan and the Western Balkans and solutions to enhance the security of NATO member and partner states.”
As experts have noted, on Wednesday President George W. Bush did not hesitate to put an end to speculations over the Western Balkans. In his speech in Bucharest, the leader of the Alliance's foremost military and political power explicitly stated that on Thursday NATO would make the historic decision of welcoming three more states: Croatia, Albania and Macedonia. Moreover, he reiterated what he had already made clear the day before in Kiev: regardless of Russia's discontent, the ex-Soviet republics of Georgia and Ukraine must join Action Plan which precedes actual accession. Consistent with previous positions, Bush once again denounced the threat posed by the Islamic regime in Tehran, and stated that Romania itself, as a strategic partner of America, may be targeted by missiles launched in Iran.
According to Aurelian Crăiuţiu, professor of political sciences with the University of Indiana, the fact that Bush's mandate comes to an end within months does not make the anti-missile shield an obsolete topic. Crăiuţiu says there is consensus in the US as regards the need to have the shield in place, should Iran develop nuclear capabilities that threaten Europe's security. We only need to identify the technical solution for the shield to also cover the southern flank of NATO, Romania included.
|
|
| |
WMA |
|
64kbps : |
1
2
3
|
|
|
128kbps : |
1
2
3
|
| |
MP3 |
|
|
64kbps : |
1
2
3
|
|
|
128kbps : |
1
2
3
|
| |
AAC+ |
|
|
48kbps : |
1
2
3
|
|
|
64kbps : |
1
2
3
|
 Historical mascot of
RRI |
| |
© 1999 - 2011 Copyright Radio Romania International |
|
2025-04-03
Print
Listen again