NATO Bucharest summit 2008

Bush, Putin at odds near end of terms
By MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Writer BUCHAREST, Romania -
President Bush, fresh from securing full NATO support for his missile defense plans for Europe and a pledge to later admit former Soviet republics, has plenty to discuss with Russia's Vladimir Putin. Bush saw the outgoing Russian president Friday here at a NATO-Russia Council meeting amid new Washington-Moscow tensions.
In all, Bush was to be face-to-face with Putin at least three times in three days, wrapping up a leader-to-leader relationship that has lasted nearly a decade. With Putin
leaving office next month, their meeting at Putin's vacation home at the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi on Saturday and Sunday will likely be their last as leaders.
Bush went into the first of the discussions a day after having won NATO backing to install a missile shield in the former Soviet eastern European satellites of Poland
and the Czech Republic over Russian objections.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called it a "breakthrough agreement" for the military alliance, and it was sugarcoated by the announcement of a U.S. deal with
the Czech Republic to host a radar site vital to the missile defense system.
But Bush lost, at least for the moment, a highly public spat over opening the door to NATO membership to Ukraine and Georgia, which Putin vehemently opposes.
Instead of the immediate start to that process that he wanted, Bush got a written commitment from the allies, including Germany and France, which shared Russian
concerns, that the two nations will become NATO members at some point. Bush plans to continue to press the matter before his second term expires in January.
A senior Russian diplomat said NATO's pledge of eventual membership to Ukraine and Georgia had badly soured ties between the alliance and Moscow. "A culture
of searching for solutions on the basis of taking mutual interests into account has been lost," Sergei Ryabkov, chief of the Russian Foreign Ministry's department for
European cooperation, told reporters in Bucharest before the meeting between Putin and NATO's 26 leaders, including Bush.
Russia also remains deeply worried by the alliance's support for the U.S. missile shield.
"We can't sit aside and watch how they rubber-stamp decisions made by other people changing security situation for Russia," Ryabkov said.
Tensions even erupted over how the NATO-Russia meeting was conducted. The Kremlin's spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, complained that television coverage of the
session ended before Putin spoke, denying the Russian leader a chance to speak publicly, unlike a NATO-Ukraine meeting earlier Friday.
But Ryabkov emphasized that Russia had something to offer NATO despite the differences. Moscow struck a deal to allow the military alliance to ship non-lethal
freight across Russia to NATO forces fighting in Afghanistan. "We work in a pragmatic way and continue to cooperate with NATO in areas where our interests are
close or coincide," Ryabkov said.
Both Bush and Putin are short-timers looking to burnish their legacies.
Rice said the two leaders were expected to produce "a strategic framework" to guide relations between Washington and Moscow under their successors. "Part of
that has to be some discussion of missile defense," Rice said. She stopped short of saying outright that the two leaders would find agreement on the prickly subject,
though White House officials have been predicting this seemed possible, if not probable.
Russia views the system as designed to weaken its military might and upset the balance of power in Europe. Bush argues that the shield is not aimed at Russia but at
Mideast countries such as Iran.
In a series of concessions, the White House has offered to let Moscow monitor the sites and promised to delay activation of the shield until Iran or another adversary
tests a missile capable of reaching Europe.
Rice said the Russians indicated that those measures were viewed as "useful and important" when she and Defense Secretary Robert Gates were in Moscow last
month. "We hope that we can move beyond that to an understanding that we all have an interest in cooperation on missile defense. But we will see."
The NATO endorsement of the U.S. missile plan said "ballistic missile proliferation poses an increasing threat to allies' forces, territory and populations. Missile
defense forms part of a broader response to counter this threat."
The statement called on NATO members to explore ways in which the planned U.S. project can be linked with future missile shields elsewhere. It said leaders should
come up with recommendations to be considered at their next meeting in 2009.
Significantly, the document prodded Russia "to take advantage of United States missile defense cooperation proposals" and said NATO was "ready to explore the
potential for linking United States, NATO and Russian missile defense systems at an appropriate time."
The United States still is moving to seal an agreement with Poland, where 10 interceptor rockets would be based.
BUCHAREST, Romania
NATO leaders agreed Thursday to endorse a United States missile defense system based in Europe and to provide more troops for Afghanistan, but they refused to back President Bush’s proposal to bring Ukraine and Georgia closer to NATO membership.
Washington’s failure to win over Germany, France, Italy, Spain and other crucial European countries to its view on Ukraine and Georgia was considered by some
countries of Central and Eastern Europe to have sent a message of alliance weakness to Moscow, a day before the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, makes his
first visit to a NATO summit meeting.
But Mr. Bush could claim success in persuading NATO to endorse his missile-defense plan in the face of Russian objections, and on Thursday signed an agreement
with the Czech Republic to build radar for the system.
“There has been, over 10 years, a real debate as to whether there is a ballistic missile threat,” said Mr. Bush’s national security adviser, Stephen J. Hadley. “And I
think that debate ended today.” Mr. Bush also succeeded in getting NATO to agree to increase troop numbers in Afghanistan, a Washington priority.
Mr. Putin has objected strongly to building parts of the missile defense system in former Soviet bloc states, despite Washington’s assurances that the system is a
response to threats from Iran, not from Russia. Mr. Putin, saying the system would fuel a new arms race, has even threatened to aim Russian missiles at the system,
while also offering the use of a substitute system in Azerbaijan.
NATO’s final statement invited Russia to cooperate with the United States and Europe on developing defenses jointly.
Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the international affairs committee of the Russian Parliament, said that missile defense would be high on the agenda for the meeting
between Mr. Bush and Mr. Putin in Sochi, a Russian resort, scheduled after the NATO conference, which Mr. Putin is to attend Friday.
Mr. Kosachev said Russia doubted Washington’s motives. “We still do not have a proper explanation of this project,” he said. “It is not about the number of
interceptors. It’s about undermining mutual confidence and trust.”
The main contributor to more troops in Afghanistan was France. President Nicolas Sarkozy said Paris would send another battalion — some 700 troops — to
eastern Afghanistan, freeing up more American soldiers to deploy in support of Canadian forces in the south, where the fighting against the Taliban is heaviest.
Mr. Sarkozy, in a joint press conference with the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, repeated that France intended to reintegrate fully into NATO once a separate
European defense pillar became a reality. “Let Europe’s defense pole advance, and we will continue to advance toward NATO,” he said. “I repeat, these are two
things that go together, not one or the other, so let’s wait for the summit” in 2009, he said.
He praised Mr. Bush for comments “on the need for European defenses that would complement the alliance, which was, in my opinion, a historic turning point in U.S.
policy,” Mr. Sarkozy said. “It was a gesture we have been waiting for, that has been noticed. It’s a gesture that shows understanding for what is happening in
Europe.”
A senior American official said Mr. Bush praised Mr. Sarkozy, too, saying his trip to the United States last fall had an impact “like the latest incarnation of Elvis.”
Mr. Bush traveled to Ukraine on the eve of the summit meeting here and strongly endorsed its eventual membership. But the alliance decided not to offer Ukraine and
Georgia entry into its Membership Action Plan, or MAP, a set of requirements and reforms necessary to achieving full alliance membership.
It was a remarkable rejection of American policy in an alliance normally dominated by Washington, and it sent a confusing signal to Russia, one that some countries
considered close to appeasement of Moscow.
American officials focused on NATO’s agreement that the alliance’s foreign ministers would reconsider Ukraine and Georgia when they met again in December,
before President Bush left office, though few Europeans expected a different result. The Europeans suggested that invitations to the MAP might come in a year, at the
next summit meeting, to be jointly held by Germany and France, or in 2010.
Mr. Hadley, the national security adviser, said that most of the former Communist states that had joined NATO after the collapse of the Soviet Union had supported
the American position. He and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice emphasized NATO’s final statement declaring that Georgia and Ukraine would become
members someday, as would any other aspiring democracy in Europe.
German and British officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, criticized the Bush administration for not
coming to grips soon enough with the Ukraine and Georgia problem. They suggested that Mr. Bush’s failure to try to work through the issue with Russia in advance
created doubts among crucial allies like Germany and France, who also felt that Georgia’s leadership was unstable and that Ukraine, with a divided population and a
new government, was not yet ready to enter the MAP.
Boris I. Tarasyuk, a former Ukrainian foreign minister and close ally of President Viktor A. Yushchenko on NATO membership, said in an interview: “Moscow will
be very satisfied with the outcome. But I’d like to say to them that this is not the end of the story. Sooner or later it will happen.”
Georgia’s foreign minister, David Bakradze, said a “no” for Georgia would validate “those people in the Kremlin who think that by a policy of blackmail, by
arrogance and aggression” they can influence NATO’s decisions.
NATO did extend full invitations to join the alliance to two significant countries of the Western Balkans, Croatia and Albania. But in an embarrassment for NATO,
which runs by consensus, Greece insisted on vetoing the membership invitation of tiny Macedonia. Athens insists that the country must have a name different from
Greece’s northern province to avoid any sense of territorial claim and “instability,” objections that NATO officials regard as ludicrous.
“This is a huge disappointment,” said the Macedonian government’s negotiator, Nikola Dimitrov. “It goes against the values that stand behind NATO. It’s very much
against stability in the Balkans.”
Mr. Bush, addressing his NATO colleagues, praised changes that Macedonia had put in place and said that the “name issue needs to be resolved quickly, so that
Macedonia can be welcomed into NATO as soon as possible.”
He did not mention Greece. Nor did Mr. Bush mention Ukraine and Georgia.
Judy Dempsey contributed reporting.

NATO-Ukraine Annual Target Plan 2008
Following the approval by the NATO-Ukraine Commission and the subsequent signature of Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, this year's NATO-Ukraine
Annual Target Plan is now available on NATO and Ukrainian official web-sites.This 6th Annual Target Plan sets clear reform targets and activities in different areas including internal political issues, foreign and security policy, defence and security
sector reform, public information, economic and legal issues, and information security.
In some areas, the targets are to be met through internal actions by Ukraine. In others, joint NATO-Ukraine actions have been agreed. It is worth mentioning that the
Ukrainian civil society took an active part in its development. The implementation of the Annual Target Plan will be overviewed on a regular basis by the NATO-
Ukraine Commission.
Meeting these targets will be a step towards achieving the long-term strategic objectives identified in the 2002 NATO-Ukraine Action Plan, which aims to bring
Ukraine closer to its goal of Euro-Atlantic integration.

NATO backs Bush's missile defense system
By MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Writer
BUCHAREST, Romania - President Bush won NATO's endorsement Thursday for his plan to build a missile defense system in Europe over Russian objections. The
proposal also advanced with Czech officials announcing an agreement to install a missile tracking site for the system in their country.
Bush also was undaunted in his drive to see the military alliance expanded further eastward, despite facing an immediate setback.
Fellow NATO leaders rejected his appeal to allow former Soviet republics Ukraine and Georgia to get on a path toward membership. But Bush's national security
adviser, Stephen Hadley, said the president will not drop the issue and plans to make a new pitch before he leaves office in January. The United States expects to
raise the matter at a meeting of NATO foreign minister in December, Hadley said.
"NATO's door must remain open to other nations in Europe that share our love for liberty and demonstrate a commitment to reform and seek to strengthen their ties
with the trans-Atlantic community," Bush said in brief remarks at an alliance meeting. "We must give other nations seeking membership a full and fair hearing."
The president expressed regret that NATO also declined to offer full membership at this meeting to Macedonia. The invitation was blocked by Greece, which says
the country's name implies a territorial claim to its northern region, also called Macedonia.
"Macedonia's made difficult reforms at home," Bush said. "It is making major contributions to NATO missions abroad. The name issue needs to be resolved quickly
so that Macedonia can be welcomed into NATO as soon as possible."
Albania and Croatia were invited to join the alliance, now currently at 26 members.
Progress on missile defense, though, represented a boon to Bush from the summit. Russia has strongly opposed the plan.
NATO leaders were adopting a communique stating that "ballistic missile proliferation poses an increasing threat to allied forces, territory and populations." It also will
recognize "the substantial contribution to the protection of allies ... to be provided by the U.S.-led system," according to senior American officials, who spoke on
condition of anonymity ahead of the statement's release.
The statement calls on all NATO members to explore ways in which the planned U.S. project, to be based in Poland and the Czech Republic, can be linked with
future missile shields elsewhere. It says leaders should come up with recommendations to be considered at their next meeting in 2009, the officials said.
Significantly, the document also calls on Russia to drop its objections to the system and to accept U.S. and NATO offers to cooperate on building it, the officials said.
The plan calls for 10 interceptor missiles based in Poland and a tracking radar site in the Czech Republic.
At a news conference in Bucharest on the sidelines of the NATO summit, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwartzenberg announced that negotiations with the
Americans have been successfully completed and that a deal would be signed in early May. No U.S. official was in attendance, but the Czechs distributed a joint
U.S.-Czech statement that said, "This agreement is an important step in our efforts to protect our nations and our NATO allies from the growing threat posed by the
proliferation of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction."
The Poles have yet to agree to the plan.
The backing from NATO and the announcement with the Czechs provides Bush with a powerful leg up in his negotiations with Moscow over the issue.

NATO nixes Georgia, Ukraine membership
By PAUL AMES, Associated Press Writer
BUCHAREST, Romania - NATO decided Thursday not to put Georgia and Ukraine on track to join the alliance after vehement Russian opposition, but the alliance
pledged that the strategically important Black Sea nations will become members one day.
Senior American officials also said that NATO leaders agreed to fully endorse U.S. missile defense plans for Europe and urge Russia to drop its objections to the
system.
French and German concern over Russia's reaction dashed the two former Soviet republics' hopes of being granted a "membership action plan" that bring them into
the alliance within the next five to 10 years.
But alliance Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said NATO welcomes the countries' aspirations to join. "We agree today that these countries will become
members of NATO," he said.
Greek opposition also meant that Macedonia was excluded, though NATO did agree to invite the Balkan nations of Albania and Croatia.
"This is a huge disappointment," said Macedonian government negotiator Nikola Dimitrov. "It goes against the values that stand behind NATO. It's very much against
stability in the Balkans."
There was brighter news for NATO: French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced he was sending a battalion of troops and elite special forces — expected to total
around 1,000 soldiers — to bolster the fight against Taliban militants in Afghanistan.
NATO foreign ministers will review Ukraine and Georgia's applications again in December, de Hoop Scheffer said.
Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were concerned about provoking Moscow, which has warned of a new East-West crisis if NATO takes in the two
republics. Both are on Russia's southwestern border, across key east-west oil and gas routes.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko insisted that "Ukraine will be in NATO" one day.
Pro-Western governments in both republics had earlier warned that a failure to launch the membership process in Bucharest would be a bitter blow and a boost for
pro-Russian forces in their countries.
"A 'no' for Georgia will show those people in the Kremlin who think that by a policy of blackmail, by arrogance and aggression" they can influence NATO's
decisions, Georgia's Foreign Minister David Bakradze said. "A 'no' will be seen by those people as a victory."
The NATO summit also gave a broad endorsement to U.S. plans to base elements of its missile defenses in Europe, despite Russia's objections.
De Hoop Scheffer said a summit communique would recognize the protection the system will give to Europe from long-range ballistic missile threats, particularly from
the Middle East. Russia fiercely opposes the plan.
The allies will also move ahead with a complementary system of short-range missile defenses to cover parts of Turkey, Greece, Romania and Bulgaria that would fall
outside the U.S. shield.
Greece blocked the alliance from invited Macedonia to join NATO because of Athens' objections to the country's name. However, leaders said Macedonia can join as soon as it resolves the dispute.
Greece has a northern province that is also called Macedonia, and contends the former Yugoslav republic's insistence on being known as Macedonia implies a territorial claim.
Following their invitations, Croatia and Albania are expected to join NATO within the next two years, following parliamentary ratification of their entry. "It's a great
day not only for Croatia but also for our region," said Ivo Sanader, Croatia's prime minister.
The French offer of troops for Afghanistan will free up American troops to move south to Kandahar province. That averts the risk of a crisis within the NATO forces
triggered by Canada's threat to pull out its 2,500 beleaguered soldiers there unless they got 1,000 reinforcements from another ally.
Sarkozy also told the NATO summit that he will decide next year on a French return to the alliance's integrated military command, more than four decades since Gen.
Charles de Gaulle pulled out.
Both moves are a sign of Sarkozy's policy of drawing closer to the U.S.-led NATO alliance, although his speech also stressed France's desire to build up the defense
role of the European Union.
The deployment in Afghanistan follows months of lobbying by the United States to persuade European allies to send more troops to the front lines of the fight against
the Taliban.
"Afghanistan is a strategic issue for international security. It's a central issue for relations between Islam and the West," Sarkozy said. "It's essential for the alliance."
France currently has 1,430 troops serving as part of the 47,000-strong NATO force in Afghanistan.
The new French troops — and the imminent arrival of 3,200 extra U.S. Marines — would give added weight to a "vision statement" the leaders are scheduled to
adopt Thursday. NATO is seeking to reassure it has a long-term commitment to Afghanistan and trying to boost flagging public support for the mission in the face of
growing Taliban violence.
Leading European allies, including Germany, Italy, Turkey and Spain, are still refusing to send combat troops to the Afghan front lines because of the unpopularity of
the war at home.
NATO also agreed that its 60th anniversary summit next year will be held jointly in the French border city of Strasbourg and its German neighbor, Kehl.
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Associated Press Writers William J. Kole, Alina Wolfe Murray, Matthew Lee, Robert Burns, Terence Hunt, Alison Mutler and Claudia Kemmer contributed to this report.