NATOs Parlamentariske Forsamling 2008-09 NPA alm. del Bilag 23 Offentligt
Tuesday 26 May 2009 - SUMMARY of the PLENARY SITTING, Kongressenter, Oslo, Norway
The session was opened on Tuesday 26 May 2009 at 9.10 with John Tanner (United States), President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, in the Chair.
1. Opening of the sitting
The President declared the Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly open.
The President welcomed participants.
2. Address by Thorbjørn Jagland, President of the Storting
The President introduced Mr Jagland.
Mr Jagland said that NATO is not in Afghanistan for the sake of NATO; it is there to stop tyranny under a UN resolution to stop terrorism and future wars. Each challenge reaffirms the need for NATO to build alliances and adapt to the new realities.
The President thanked Mr Jagland.
3. Address by John Tanner, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly
The President asserted that NATO is a team with different strengths and weaknesses, but the most important aspect of a team is that we work together despite our difference as we are committed to the same values. We need to show that we are equally determined to live up to our obligations and commitments. What we are fighting in Afghanistan is a force that rejects our principles. Tolerance of those who seek to undermine our common values is not a virtue, and we need to explain to our constituents why we are in Afghanistan. The NATO-PA can play an important role in this regard.
4. Address by Jens Stoltenberg, Prime Minister of Norway
The President introduced Mr Stoltenberg.
Mr Stoltenberg spoke about the key security issues on NATO’s current agenda. Those included the risks of nuclear proliferation, with a specific emphasis on the North Korean nuclear programme, disarmament and Afghanistan.
Mr. Stoltenberg further drew attention to recent developments in the High North and some conflicting aspirations and policies among actors in the area. He urged increased cooperation among governments to manage the increasing human activity in the region. The High North is a region of low tension and should remain so.
The President thanked Mr Stoltenberg.
5. Address by Kai Eide, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), followed by a question and answer period
The President introduced Mr Eide.
Mr Eide stressed the positive elements in Afghanistan. He said that there has been a breakthrough in regional cooperation in the past year. However, there are still challenges to be addressed such as strengthening the army, reducing corruption and increasing aid effectiveness. The speaker noted that more emphasis should be placed on building Afghanistan’s capacity. We should not continue on “autopilot”, instead we have to reshape our engagement to support positive trends and Afghan priorities.
Mr Eide answered questions from Mr Bouvard (France), Mr Pashtoon (Afghanistan), Mr Naek (Pakistan), Mr Stinner (Germany), Mr Erdem (Turkey), Mr Bayley (United Kingdom), and Mr Lello (Portugal).
The President thanked Mr Eide.
6. Address by H.E. Mrs Jozefina Topalli, Speaker of the Parliament of Albania
The President introduced Mrs Topalli.
Mrs Topalli stressed that NATO’s Strasbourg summit represented Albania’s most significant event, besides its independence. Albania’s dream of NATO membership has been fulfilled. Albania contributes to the EU by providing an exceptional example of religious harmony and respect for others’ faiths. In 18 years, the country has made tremendous progress and is widely regarded as moderate voice in the Balkan region.
The President thanked Mrs Topalli.
7. Address by H.E. Mr Luka Bebi?, Speaker of the Parliament of Croatia
The President introduced Mr Bebi?.
Mr Bebi? thanked the Assembly for its instrumental role in the timely ratification of Croatia’s NATO accession. Having attained one of its two main goals, Croatia now desires membership in the European Union (EU). In accordance with that goal, Croatia continues to undertake political and defence reforms; and today, it boasts a well-functioning democratic system. Croatia once required outside assistance in security matters, but now, it contributes to regional and global security, participating in 18 international peacekeeping missions with the EU, NATO, and the UN Security Council.
The President thanked Mr Bebi?.
8. Vote on the draft Declaration on The Situation in the Republic of Moldova adopted by the Standing Committee [109 SC 09 E bis]
The President submitted to the Assembly for final approval the draft Declaration on The Situation in the Republic of Moldova [109 SC 09 E bis], as adopted by the Standing Committee on Monday.
The draft Declaration [109 SC 09 E bis] was adopted by acclamation. 9. Presentation and Vote on the Report of Pierre Claude Nolin, Treasurer of the Assembly, for 2008 and the current financial year (2009) [096 FIN 09 E rev. 1], the Audited Financial Statements for 2008 [126 FIN 09 E], and the Audited Provident Fund Financial Statement for 2008 [038 FIN 09 E]
The Treasurer of the Assembly presented his Report for 2008 and the current financial year (2009), the Audited Financial Statements for 2008, and the Audited Provident Fund Financial Statement for 2008.
The Report of the Treasurer [096 FIN 09 E rev. 1] was adopted.
The Audited Financial Statements for 2008 [126 FIN 09 E] and the Audited Provident Fund Financial Statement for 2008 [038 FIN 09 E] were adopted.
The President thanked the Treasurer.
10. Votes on the amendments to the Rules of Procedure [112 SC 09 E] and the Financial Regulations [099 SESP 09 E]
The President submitted to the Assembly for final approval the draft amendments to the Rules of Procedure and Financial Regulations, as approved by the Standing Committee.
The amendments to the Rules of Procedure [112 SC 09 E] and Financial Regulations [099 SESP 09 E] were approved.
11. NATO-Georgia Interparliamentary Council
The President informed the Assembly that the Standing Committee had agreed to establish the NATO-Georgia Interparliamentary Council. Two VicePresidents, Assen Agov (Bulgaria) and Bruce George (United Kingdom) would act as Bureau coordinator of Assembly’s activities regarding Georgia and cooperate with the head of the Georgian delegation, Giorgi Kandelaki.
The Sitting was suspended between 10.55 and 11.10 am and resumed with John Tanner (United States), President of the Assembly, in the Chair.
12. Joint Meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and North Atlantic Council
The President introduced Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Secretary General of NATO and President of the North Atlantic Council and welcomed the Permanent Representatives to the NAC.
Mr de Hoop Scheffer noted that NATO’s forces were currently deployed in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Iraq and the Mediterranean. In addition, the Alliance was carrying out counterpiracy operations off the Horn of Africa, thus demonstrating NATO’s tremendous flexibility.
Politically, NATO had also been very active. France had recently been reincorporated into NATO’s military structure, and NATO has new members. These developments were important because the Alliance is increasingly a forum for political debate.
This did not mean that everything was going smoothly. The Alliance was facing three major challenges: solidarity, institutional challenges and challenges relating to resources. The Alliance now had a perfect opportunity to address these challenges in the new strategic Concept.
The new strategic Concept must describe the new strategic environment, it must provide a new understanding of what constitutes a threat, and it must reconfirm the consolidation of Europe. Finally, NATO’s relationship with Russia would need to be addressed the new strategic Concept. The NATO PA’s input to this process would be essential because of the collective expertise of this body.
The President opened the exchange of views.
- NATO-Russia relations
Mr George (United Kingdom) expressed his appreciation to the Secretary General, and asked the Secretary General to reconfirm that Russia’s actions had not derailed Georgia’s path to NATO. He also asked the Secretary General of the consequences for Russia of not withdrawing its troops from Georgian territory.
Mr Bianco (Italy) asked the Secretary General about Russia’s proposal for a new security architecture for Europe.
Mr Galazewski (Poland) stressed the importance of NATO-Russia relations and noted that the issues which had caused this deterioration still existed.
Mr Ozerov (Russian Federation) highlighted that Russia’s development of relations with NATO was based on increasing security, and that it had fought to overcome the stereotype that NATO was associated with the Cold War. However NATO’s biased assessment of the Georgia War had threatened these efforts, as had the expulsion of two Russian diplomats. He wondered when there would be a complete resetting of the NATO-Russia Council.
Mrs Paegle (Latvia), referring to the NATO-Russia Parliamentary Committee meeting on Friday, asked about Russia’s proposals for a new strategic architecture, as well as NATO’s involvement in the High North.
Mr Loverdos (Greece) stated that cooperation with Russia was crucial. He highlighted that Greece organized an informal meeting of Foreign Ministers which would contribute to the dialogue process.
At the invitation of the President of the North Atlantic Council, the Permanent Representatives to the NAC responded.
Ambassador Traavik (Norway) highlighted the importance of NATO-Russia relations, as well as the need for streamlining the operations of the NATO-Russia Council to address issues of joint interest.
Ambassador Kovacs (Hungary) hoped for a NATO-Russia ministerial level meeting in the near future. Applauding the role of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in restarting the process of dialogue, he reaffirmed NATO’s support for Georgia.
Ambassador Brandenburg (Germany) said that the cessation of dialogue with Russia did not contribute to improved relations, and that the gradual resumption of dialogue was driven by the shared issues involved. The real issue today was finding substantive issues on which to cooperate.
Ambassador Andréani (France) said that France wanted to maintain this dialogue, and hoped for a ministerial meeting of the NATO-Russia Council. The new security architecture was of interest, but she wanted Russia to provide specifics.
Ambassador Miranda y Elio (Spain) stressed the importance of the Mediterranean region and the need for better coordination with the European Union.
Mr de Hoop Scheffer stated that Afghanistan, piracy, proliferation and counternarcotics were good topics for discussion in the NATO-Russia Council. However, the NRC was not necessarily a “fair-weather” body, and tough issues such as Georgia would have to be addressed as well.
- A new strategic Concept
Mr Lamers (Germany) said that Article 5 should be the core of the Alliance. He asked if Article 5 could also be invoked as a result of cyber-attacks or threats against the energy infrastructure. Mr Lamers also said that the Alliance had to show Russia the red lines it was not allowed to cross.
Mr Cosic (Croatia) said that science and technology research and development would be increasingly important for the Alliance. He expressed his hope that this be incorporated into the new strategic Concept.
Mr Mikser (Estonia) highlighted that new threats to NATO did not make the traditional ones disappear. He asked if NATO should approach out of area operations as an extension of Article 5.
At the invitation of the President of the North Atlantic Council, the Permanent Representatives to the NAC responded
Ambassador Stefanini (Italy) said that three aspects had to be balanced in the new Strategic Concept: current operations; the tight budget and any future requirements. He agreed that research and development should be strengthened.
Ambassador Fernandes Pereira (Portugal) said that all countries had to be involved in the new strategic Concept.
Ambassador Luik (Estonia) said that there was no contradiction between Article 5 and nonArticle 5 missions, but then asked what the necessary forces were for each. Drawing attention to the hypothetical situation of an attack of the scale of 9/11 attack on a small country, Mr Luik said that there were, in fact, essential differences in Article 5 capabilities and non-Article 5 capabilities.
Ambassador Ildem (Turkey) highlighted the need for NATO to work more closely with other organizations, and for these organizations to adopt a common conception of a comprehensive approach.
- NATO operations in Afghanistan Mrs Emerson (United States) asked about the perception that the United States was dominating the mission in Afghanistan and the possible deleterious efforts of this on allied determination.
Ms Enström (Sweden) asked about whether NATO planned to have a comprehensive review of the PRT Concept.
Mr de Rohan (France) asked about the replacement of the American Commander in Chief in Afghanistan, and whether NATO was consulted on this. He wondered whether this had an impact on the NAC.
At the invitation of the President of the North Atlantic Council, the Permanent Representatives to the NAC responded.
Ambassador Eldon (United Kingdom) said that he did not believe that the United States were “elbowing aside” their NATO allies. Highlighting the importance of Kai Eide’s speech, he drew attention to the broad range of measures necessary for success in Afghanistan.
Ambassador McRae (Canada) emphasized the importance of the mission in Afghanistan. He welcomed the additional US troops, and said that he did not feel the operation in Afghanistan was being “Americanized”.
Ambassador Winid (Poland) spoke of the difficult issue of caveats. This was one aspect which parliamentarians could address. He also called for exchange programmes for the newly elected Afghan parliamentarians.
Mr Varvuolis, Deputy Permanent Representative of Lithuania, stressed that PRTs were not simply aid providers, but also developers of Afghanistan’s ability to provide for itself.
Mr Heffern, Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States, spoke of Afghanistan, and the renewed support within NATO for the comprehensive approach.
- NATO Enlargement
Mr Banovic (Montenegro) congratulated the Alliance, on its 60th anniversary and the new members. He asked about NATO’s greatest challenge at this phase of the expansion process.
At the invitation of the President of the North Atlantic Council, the Permanent Representatives to the NAC responded.
Ambassador Schaper (Netherlands) said that the Alliance is open to further enlargement to include countries that share its values and add to the security of the region.
Ambassador Ducaru (Romania) praised Montenegro on its progress and pointed out that enlargement was a continuing process.
Ambassador Cerar (Slovenia) said that the time was right to grant a Membership Action Plan (MAP) to Montenegro.
- Emerging security challenges
Mr Erdem (Turkey) highlighted the importance of NATO’s Mediterranean dialogue, and the importance of the process of dialogue in general for NATO in the future.
Mr Aleu (Spain) spoke of piracy, how the Alliance was fighting it, and what it would do with captured pirates.
Lord Jopling (United Kingdom) asked what could be changed in international law to be better neutralize the problems posed by piracy.
Mrs Arnadottir (Iceland) asked how well equipped the Alliance was to carry out Article 5 missions and how the Alliance can raise its public profile.
At the invitation of the President of the North Atlantic Council, the Permanent Representatives to the NAC replied.
Ambassador Poulsen-Hansen (Denmark) said that he saw a prominent role of the Alliance in addressing piracy. He stated that the legal issues of piracy were being dealt with in the United Nations context. Regarding the new strategic Concept, he agreed that NATO’s visibility must be raised within its member states.
Ambassador Ivanov (Bulgaria) said special attention must be taken in the NATO “flank areas” regarding Article 5 issues.
Ambassador Stamatopolous (Greece) said that the situation within Somalia was the key to the question of piracy. Aerial surveillance to counter piracy needed to be looked into further by the relevant military bodies of NATO. Legally, piracy was as much a question of domestic as international law.
- Final remarks
Mr Kox (Netherlands) thanked the Secretary General for his service and asked the Secretary General to call on parliamentarians to publicly debate the future of NATO.
The President paid tribute to Mr de Hoop Scheffer and thanked him as well as the Permanent Representatives to the North Atlantic Council.
13. Closure of the Session
The President thanked the Norwegian delegation, its staff, the International Secretariat, the security staff, the interpreters and all the others who had helped the session run so smoothly.
The Session was closed at 13.00.