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<TITLE>Hungarian State Secretary Dr. Ferenc Somogyi...NATO Enlargement and
Partnership for Peace: A Hungarian Perspective</TITLE>
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<CENTER><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+4">NATO's Enlargement and
Partnership for Peace:</FONT></FONT></CENTER>
<CENTER><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+4">A Hungarian Perspective</FONT></FONT></CENTER>
<CENTER><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+3">Hungarian State Secretary
Dr. Ferenc Somogyi</FONT></FONT></CENTER>
<CENTER></CENTER>
<CENTER><B><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+1">INTRODUCTION</FONT></FONT></B></CENTER>
<P><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+0">As a starting point, I will say
that Hungary considers NATO's enlargement to be the proper response by the
North Atlantic Alliance to the new challenges in Central and Eastern
Europe. Such a response is fully in line with the ambition of most
countries in our region to become NATO members, recognizing as they do the
importance of NATO, the importance of an American presence in Europe, and
the decisive role NATO will play in the future. Moreover, the enlargement
process will boost NATO's efforts to establish its new identity in the new
world order and enable it to take on and receive from the new members
valuable contributions to its integrity, credibility, and strength.</FONT></FONT>
</P>
<CENTER></CENTER>
<CENTER><B><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+1">NATO'S ENLARGEMENT
PROCESS</FONT></FONT></B></CENTER>
<P><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+0">Expanding NATO is the sole
viable response to the challenges we face in Central and Eastern Europe
since it is supported by strong realities such as the indivisible nature
of today's security. It is often said that no region is safe and secure
without the stability of others; thus unpredictability or instability in
Eastern Europe has security implications for the West, and NATO cannot
afford to be indifferent to what is happening in our part of the world.</FONT></FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+0">Theoretically, there are two
kinds of attention NATO could give to our region. The first is a distant,
out of area attention that would confine NATO action to a reaction-type of
crisis-management policy. The second, and no doubt better, form of
attention would lead to the integration--in various ways--of our
countries. Such a positive, forward-looking, and result-oriented approach
would be a major contribution to stability, project security, and greatly
promote the democratic, free-market development of the countries in the
region. This approach would be a clear indication of NATO's new emphasis
on representing and enhancing democratic values and principles, a focus
that now prevails over the core function of defending member-states
against an outside threat during the Cold War period. This approach would
also help prevent crisis situations from emerging.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<CENTER></CENTER>
<CENTER><B><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+1">PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE</FONT></FONT></B></CENTER>
<P><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+0">With regard to Partnership for
Peace, I must admit that, for many Central and Eastern European countries,
it was not "love at first sight." Many of us thought that it was
an unnecessary detour, a substitute for the strongly desired NATO
membership. It took us some time to realize that PFP is a strategic
structure with two major functions: preparing countries for NATO
membership, and contributing in its own right to the emergence of a new
Euro-Atlantic security architecture. PFP is one element in a system whose
other pillars are the institutions of Euro-Atlantic integration (NATO,
European Union, Western European Union, Council of Europe), an improved
version of OSCE, and regional as well as bilateral arrangements and
agreements. Thus, we see that it is in the best interests of all of us
that this program functions properly and develops further.</FONT></FONT>
</P>
<CENTER></CENTER>
<CENTER><B><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+1">Preparing Countries for
NATO Membership</FONT></FONT></B></CENTER>
<P><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+0">There is a direct link between
the process of NATO enlargement and PFP, both from a procedural and a
substantive point of view. PFP acts as a framework for the process of
taking candidate countries from dialogue through cooperation and
partnership to their ultimate goal: alliance membership. Major elements of
this process, as we see them, are:</FONT></FONT> </P>
<UL>
<LI><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+0">Strengthening ties of
cooperation in political, military, and other fields;</FONT></FONT></LI>
<LI><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+0">Changing security philosophy
and thought in Partner countries and in their armed forces;</FONT></FONT></LI>
<LI><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+0">Bringing Partner countries'
military forces closer to NATO standards, procedures, and doctrines,
which is a precondition for reaching the expected level of
interoperability.</FONT></FONT></LI>
</UL>
<P><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+0">The defense Planning and Review
Process is a multifaceted new feature of the above process, representing
yet another breakthrough in substantive cooperation. We consider this
process a framework for self-differentiation, providing the chance for
individual countries to prove their readiness and capability and to
present their own information on meeting admission criteria, on which
final decisions are expected to be made. At the same time, the Planning
and Review Process is a cooperative effort in the "16 + 1"
format and also implies the possibility of some structured multilateral
cooperation among Partners as well.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<CENTER></CENTER>
<CENTER><B><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+1">The New Euro-Atlantic
Security Architecture</FONT></FONT></B></CENTER>
<P><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+0">Regional cooperation and good
neighborly relations are not only expectations of an enlarged NATO; they
are also in the vital interest of the countries in question. In this
regard, I would like to mention the successful efforts of the Hungarian
government to sign a basic treaty with Slovakia and the treaty's recent
ratification by an impressive 70% of the Hungarian parliament; I would
also like to remind you of our continuous effort to sign a similar
bilateral treaty with Romania. Hungary is happily developing ties in many
fields of cooperation with practically all of our neighbors. (Serbia is,
of course, a tragic exception.)</FONT></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+0">It is evident, therefore, that
PFP is much more than a framework for preparing future members of NATO. It
is, at the same time, a strategic engagement. Together with the process of
NATO enlargement and the special arrangements of dialogue and cooperation
with countries that would not join the North Atlantic Alliance, PFP
contributes greatly to the success of the efforts aimed at avoiding new
divisions among current NATO members, new members, future members, and
non-members. We are therefore of the view that PFP should maintain its "sovereignty"
and should not be merged with NACC.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+0">Since it is in everyone's
interest not to isolate or antagonize Russia during the process of NATO
enlargement, Moscow's recent joining of the Partnership program can and, I
hope, will be a major development. Of course, it is yet to be seen if this
move on Russia's part is really more than a simple gesture to ensure the
contact with NATO that is so badly needed to realize Russia's
not-yet-properly-elaborated ideas for a new European security system. It
also remains to be seen if the Russian army is genuinely interested in
participating constructively in PFP programs and if it is ready to accept
effective civilian and democratic control.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<CENTER></CENTER>
<CENTER><B><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+1">Hungary and Partnership
for Peace</FONT></FONT></B></CENTER>
<P><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+0">With regard to the role
Partnership for Peace plays in Hungary's development, I would like to
point out that the number one challenge Hungary faces is the modernization
of our country in the broadest possible sense. It is our firm conviction
that the best, if not the only, way to achieve modernization is through
Hungary's full reintegration into the European and Euro-Atlantic community
of nations.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+0">In this connection, I want to
underline that meeting NATO (and EU) expectations and making the best use
of the possibilities offered by Partnership for Peace and our Individual
Partnership Program coincide with our national interests, ambitions, and
is in full harmony with the logic of our own development. NATO membership,
as soon as possible, is a priority objective of our government and enjoys
a broad national consensus. Of course, integration with the Euro-Atlantic
community, in our view, means much more than full-fledged membership in
NATO (or in the European Union, for that matter). It is a process of
reaching Western standards and of becoming a genuinely European nation.</FONT></FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+0">From this perspective, then,
Partnership for Peace and our Individual Partnership Program are of
paramount importance in general terms and in specific fields as well. They
both have a major role to play in our military reforms, which are on the
agenda whether or not we have the chance to become a NATO member soon. Of
course, we can carry out reforms by building up a fully independent,
strong, but isolated Hungarian army, or we can have the chance to do it in
an integrated way within the North Atlantic Alliance. The latter option
would most probably not be much more expensive, but it would certainly be
much more effective and would prevent misunderstandings and
misinterpretations that could occur in neighboring countries if reform is
carried out in isolation. PFP is also instrumental in strengthening
civilian and democratic control over our armed forces, thus enhancing the
establishment of a new relationship between the military and the new,
democratic Hungarian society.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<CENTER></CENTER>
<CENTER><B><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+1">CONCLUDING REMARKS</FONT></FONT></B></CENTER>
<P><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+0">It is in this spirit of
cooperation that we continue to do our best, in addition to what we have
already done, to implement the 1995 Hungarian Individual Partnership
Program. This includes, among other things, a joint
British-German-Hungarian exercise (COOPERATIVE LIGHT) in Hungary, and the
establishment in Budapest of an international language training center for
officers from Central and Eastern European countries with the aim of
ensuring that a common language is found both in the figurative and the
literal sense.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+0">I would also like to mention
that by a recent government decision, an additional sum of $3 million was
earmarked for financing PFP activities and the most immediate NATO-related
tasks in 1995. This decision gives additional proof of our commitment to
provide the necessary financial resources for such actions despite the
budgetary problems we face. We have also taken all the necessary steps to
sign the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) as soon as it is open for
signature, and have decided to further strengthen our presence in the
Partnership Coordination Cell both in numbers of staff and in the quality
of work done there. Furthermore, in March 1996 we plan to host a NACC/PFP
seminar on "The Principles and Practice of Democratic and Civilian
Control over the Armed Forces." I do hope that all of these actions
prove that Hungary wants to be an active Partner in the broadest possible
terms.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+0">We feel that a historic
opportunity is at hand to become one of the first countries to be admitted
to the North Atlantic Alliance in the not very distant future. This
opportunity would enable us to establish a major tie that would bind us
institutionally and organically with the democracies of Western Europe and
North America. We believe it would be a fatal error to miss this
opportunity.</FONT></FONT> </P>
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