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<TITLE>Vitaly Churkin</TITLE>
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<CENTER><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+3">European
Security Opportunities: the</FONT></FONT></FONT></CENTER>
<CENTER><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+3">Need
for Cooperation</FONT></FONT></FONT></CENTER>
<CENTER><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+2">Russian
Ambassador to NACC Vitaly Churkin</FONT></FONT></FONT> </CENTER>
<P></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">I will not repeat the
fundamental elements of Russia's approach to European security and its
relations with NATO. These have been outlined quite clearly on a number of
occasions by Russia's President and Foreign Minister. I will simply make
some points that relate to our general discussion during the NATO
Workshop.</FONT></FONT> </P>
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<H4><B><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">THE RUSSIA-NATO
FOUNDING ACT</FONT></FONT></B></H4></CENTER>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">One point is that the
recent signing of the Founding Act with NATO is of great importance to us.
We do believe that it contains a great deal of promise, not only for
Russia and NATO but also for overall European security. It promises not
just some quantitative changes within the European security architecture
but a major overhaul of the entire European security scene. For that
promise to become reality, however, we will all have to work very hard to
implement it. It would be a big mistake to believe that with the signing
of the Founding Act, Russia is "out of the way" and that other
business can now be taken up. But we too must focus our political and
material efforts and resources to make the Founding Act and the Permanent
Joint Russia-NATO Council really work.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<CENTER>
<H4><B><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">A COMPREHENSIVE
APPROACH TO EUROPEAN SECURITY</FONT></FONT></B></H4></CENTER>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">A second point is that I
very strongly support the statement of Foreign Minister Udovenko about the
need for a comprehensive approach to European security. I could not agree
more that an enlarged NATO should not be regarded as a final and universal
solution to all European security problems. In fact, to respond to one of
the questions raised during the Workshop, part of our concern about NATO
enlargement and all the talk about NATO enlargement is that, in the
process, we feel, NATO has given too many promises to too many people and
to too many countries, promises that cannot possibly be fulfilled because
some problems lie in areas with which NATO has very little to do. For
example, I am sure that even during the course of this NATO Workshop, we
will be hearing from countries that are pinning a lot of hope for their
enhanced security on NATO, when in fact they could quickly and radically
improve their security situation by simply complying with some of the OSCE
and Council of Europe recommendations on human and minority rights.</FONT></FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">General Joulwan has called
upon the civilian authorities in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the international
authorities running the operation there, to match the success of the
NATO-led military operation. I think it would be much easier for them to
do so if their resources and manpower could match the resources and
manpower of the NATO-led operation. With 60,000 people and billions and
billions of dollars, I am sure the civilian part of the international
community would have been much more successful in Bosnia and elsewhere. I
am not saying this to start a fight with General Joulwan, which would be
quite a risky proposition for me, but simply to emphasize the point that,
after the Madrid Summit and the celebrations associated with it, one hopes
Europe will have a period of very serious reflection about its security.
One also hopes that a proper balance will be found among all the existing
European security institutions, within which we believe NATO also does
have a role to play--but its proper role.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<CENTER>
<H4><B><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">LONG-TERM
OPPORTUNITIES</FONT></FONT></B></H4></CENTER>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">The third point I would
like to make is that I think the metaphor used by the President of Poland,
about the door of opportunity being open for five minutes, is quite
interesting. It made me think. And I think that if there is indeed only a
five-minute opportunity, then we have lost it--that for there to really be
an opportunity, we must think in longer terms. If we allow our opportunity
to degenerate into simply a five-minute one, then we don't know what real
opportunity means. I think we should be thinking about at least a
five-decade opportunity as we enter into a new phase of European
developments and European security. And to do that it is very important to
have a very broad-based approach to Europe and to its future, including
economic, social, and other factors.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<CENTER>
<H4><B><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">THE NEED FOR
COOPERATION</FONT></FONT></B></H4></CENTER>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">My final point is to take
this opportunity, since distinguished representatives of the
military-industrial complex are not only present but have also played an
important role in putting together this seminar, to say a word of
reassurance to them. Please, be reassured that the Russian defense
industry is not going to take the entire world weapons market over! In
fact, my pitch to you is that we are prepared to cooperate with others. I
do believe that the Permanent Joint Russia-NATO Council is going to
provide an additional channel for that, and I am sure that NATO countries,
Russia, and other countries around this table will benefit from that kind
of cooperation.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><A HREF="CHURKI.HTM">Go
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