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<TITLE>Prime Minister of Italy Romano Prodi</TITLE>
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<CENTER><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+3">To
ward an Undivided Safer Europe</FONT></FONT></FONT></CENTER>
<CENTER><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+2">Prime
Minister of Italy Romano Prodi</FONT></FONT></FONT> </CENTER>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">It is appropriate and
moving that our meeting on the eve of the Madrid Summit a summit that will
contribute to defining the new security environment in Europe is taking
place in Prague. Many times in this century, this splendid city, a
crossroads of civilization, has been at the core of events that have
shaped our common history.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">Nearly 50 years ago, in
response to tragic events in Prague, the Western democracies decided to
create the Atlantic Alliance, not only to protect their collective
security but to ensure peace on our continent. By preserving freedom in
the West, the Alliance has rendered a great service to the whole of
Europe. It has provided an enduring seed of hope, and has kept the flame
of liberty alive. Over the years it has also encouraged the democracy,
freedom, and respect for human dignity that is now established throughout
Europe, a situation that, I believe, is the result of NATO's long-ago
decision to stand up against the forces of oppression, to stand up against
threats and aggression.</FONT></FONT> </P>
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<H4><B><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">CZECH BELIEF IN NATO
VALUES</FONT></FONT></B></H4></CENTER>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">For four decades, the
Czech people have stood out as a magnificent example of courage, dignity,
and devotion to the same goals as the Alliance. Twenty-nine years ago, in
the fateful summer of 1968, the Czech people rose up against oppression
and paid a heavy toll for their love of freedom. Jan Palach became a
symbol of the human spirit fighting against oppression. A turning point
was reached: the mask of oppression fell. Nothing, ever, was the same
again in Europe.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">A decade later, in our
darkest hour, Charter 77 sent out to the world a message of hope: that
freedom, democracy, and respect for human dignity were still alive.
Another man, Václav Havel, once again personified the human spirit
rising up against all forms of oppression.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">Finally, in 1989, Prague
was able to stand up again as a beacon of light and announce to the world
that oppression had not won, but that freedom, democracy, and respect <I>had</I>.</FONT></FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">Freedom, democracy, and
respect for human dignity: these are the values for which the Czech people
have fought and shed blood, and they are also the values on which our
Alliance is founded. These values are deeply embedded in our common
civilization; we recognize that they are the basic, indisputable values of
all of our societies.</FONT></FONT> </P>
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<H4><B><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">THE ROAD AHEAD</FONT></FONT></B></H4></CENTER>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">While today we can look at
our past achievements with pride and at our common future with confidence,
we must not be complacent. The Alliance must remain strong and committed
to collective defense. Security today, however, is based less on a balance
of power than on a solid architecture of interlocking institutions and
commitments.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">It is in this light that
the accession of new members to NATO must be seen. It would be wrong to
see enlargement as an attempt to occupy more strategic ground or to
acquire undue political or unneeded military advantages. Rather, it should
be seen as a natural result of the will and the right of the new European
democracies to join the family of nations to which they belong and from
which they have been forcefully separated for too long. With them, NATO
will forge a Europe united by a common bond of solidarity and shared
values. Already, through the fundamental accords it has reached with
Russia and Ukraine, as well as through PFP and the establishment of the
Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, NATO has begun the journey toward an
undivided, safer Europe, a goal that is now, for the first time, within
our reach.</FONT></FONT> </P>
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<H4><B><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">ITALY'S COMMITMENT TO
THE ALLIANCE</FONT></FONT></B></H4></CENTER>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">Since the NATO Summit in
Rome in 1991, the Alliance has undergone a profound transformation,
adapting to meet the new challenges and to undertake the new tasks that
lie ahead. NATO has adjusted to the reality of the new, stronger, more
distinctive European identity; is providing stability through crisis
management and peace-support operations; and is fighting the proliferation
of weapons of mass destruction and against new threats such as terrorism.</FONT></FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">NATO's new missions are
not easy ones. And to complete them satisfactorily, they require the joint
commitment and the joint efforts of all Europeans and all North Americans.</FONT></FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">Italy is strongly
committed to the Alliance's joint endeavors. We will work toward a renewed
Alliance that will be able to preserve its core functions yet perform new
missions; to accept new members yet avoid creating new European dividing
lines; and to be strong and cohesive yet continue to extend a friendly
hand to partners on the Continent and in surrounding areas such as the
Mediterranean.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">This is our vision. And
together, we believe, we will have the will, the patience, and the
strength to carry it out.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">So let us look with
confidence to our future: a future in which Prague and the Czech people
essential parts of our common heritage will become an integral part of
European institutions. We believe the Czech Republic and the other
countries of Central and Eastern Europe fully meet the criteria for
membership in our free institutions. We will stand firmly by our
commitment.</FONT></FONT> </P>
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<H4><B><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">CONCLUDING REMARKS</FONT></FONT></B></H4></CENTER>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">As we meet in Prague, let
us never forget the tragedies that have plagued our continent too many
times in this century, and let us also commit ourselves to a single,
overarching goal: no more war, no more oppression, and no more division of
our continent. Let us work together, Europeans and North Americans alike,
to build an undivided, just, and peaceful Europe.</FONT></FONT> </P>
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