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<TITLE> Josef Zieleniec</TITLE>
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<CENTER><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+3">NATO's
Role in Promoting Security and Stability</FONT></FONT></FONT></CENTER>
<CENTER><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="+2">Foreign
Minister of the Czech Republic Josef Zieleniec</FONT></FONT></FONT>
</CENTER>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">As part of the 14th NATO
Workshop, we have dined at the invitation of President Havel in the
Spanish Hall at Prague Castle. That extraordinary hall was built during
the reign of Emperor Rudolph II, before the Battle of White Mountain and
before the Thirty Years War, events that shattered Europe and spelled the
end of Czech statehood for three centuries.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">Thanks to the Lord Mayor
of Prague, we have also been invited to dine in the Municipal House, one
of the most remarkable houses in Prague. This building was completed just
before the outbreak of World War I, when peace, which followed the
Congress of Vienna and lasted dozens of years, collapsed. The Municipal
House was built on the site of the King's Court, the seat of many Czech
kings during the Middle Ages. Its construction symbolized the hopes for a
new Czech nation, hopes that were fulfilled when the independent
Czechoslovak Republic, or the First Republic, as we say, was established
in 1918.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">The Spanish Hall and the
Municipal House, therefore, are not only architectural gems, but two
invitations to consider the significance of Czech statehood in the past,
the present, and the future.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<CENTER>
<H4><B><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">ENFORCED ALLIANCES OF
THE PAST</FONT></FONT></B></H4></CENTER>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">Soon after the Municipal
House was completed and the Czechoslovak Republic was established, our
nation faced the critical problem of safeguarding its security--security
for a small nation surrounded by large and powerful neighbors. We tried to
ensure our security by participating in a system of alliances that
logically proceeded from the Versailles Peace Treaty. This system sought
to secure peace by balancing power very meticulously through a collection
of treaties of alliance, both direct and indirect. But when faced with a
genuine threat, such a security architecture was certain to collapse.</FONT></FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">The system was actually
focused on war rather than peace. It was based on treaties that stipulated
which countries would join together and which would fight each other.
There was no awareness that peace in Europe cannot be taken for granted
but must be actively worked for every day. There was also no awareness
that European and North American peoples are all part of one civilized
region, and that peace in this region is indivisible. Our fathers did not
know what we know today--that we must live in peace together or all go to
war. The Czech people, together with other Europeans, have learned our
lesson: as we make plans to safeguard our present and our future security,
we must remember, among other things, our dreadful war experiences.</FONT></FONT>
</P>
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<H4><B><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">A REASSERTION OF
SHARED VALUES</FONT></FONT></B></H4></CENTER>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">The Spanish Hall at one
time served as the venue for regular meetings of the Central Committee of
the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, and the Municipal House fell into
total disrepair. Despite this, the architecture of the two buildings
continued to remind us daily of our history, our ties, our roots, our
traditions. Such reminders were particularly important at a time when the
Communists went out of their way to convince us that such values were
indeed irrelevant to our lives, the direction of our state, and our
international position, and that the genuine driving force of history is
class hatred and class struggle.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">But the Communists were
not successful in eradicating our value system. Today, as we consider the
fate of our state and our co-responsibility for the future of our
continent, we are building on our awareness of and our need for
Euro-Atlantic togetherness. We are also building on and sharing the values
of European integration and the North Atlantic Alliance, two magnificent
projects that have given Europe long-lasting peace and prosperity and that
stem from common historical experiences. I am convinced that if the
Communists had not been in power for the 40 post-war years, the Czech
Republic would have been a co-founder of both institutions.</FONT></FONT>
</P>
<CENTER>
<H4><B><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">NATO AS AN IMPLEMENT
OF SECURITY AND STABILITY</FONT></FONT></B></H4></CENTER>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">Today, we have returned to
the logic of our traditions, the logic of our history, and the logic of
our responsibility. We are glad that the 14th NATO Workshop, which is
taking place just days before the Alliance's history-making summit, is
being held in Prague. The Workshop is further proof that NATO is much more
than an alliance for mutual defense in the event of armed conflict; it is
also an institution well aware of its exceptional responsibility to
preserve long-term political stability and to promote cooperation as the
best guarantee of peace.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">The process of enlarging
the Alliance is an exceptional political project. Part of that process is
the need to shape a new relationship between Russia and NATO. Another part
is to build a special relationship with Ukraine, since we realize that
country's importance to the stability of the entire continent. Still
another part is to establish security and political ties with those
countries that will not be involved in the first wave of expansion, a task
that will be handled by the Council for European-Atlantic Partnership.
During the entire process, the Alliance must maintain its openness to
future expansion.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">Because of the way
enlargement will proceed, it will not be instrumental in moving former
dividing lines to other spots on the map. Instead, it will make a sizable
contribution to promoting togetherness throughout the European continent.
And thanks to that, it will contribute to a safer Europe and a safer
world.</FONT></FONT> </P>
<CENTER>
<H4><B><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">CONCLUDING REMARKS</FONT></FONT></B></H4></CENTER>
<P><FONT FACE="Palatino"><FONT COLOR="#000000">As many of you know,
Prague is a city of music. In both the locations of which I have
spoken--Spanish Hall and the Municipal House--concerts are frequently
given and beautiful music often resounds. I expect such signs of
civilization to continue. There is an ancient saying: "<I>Inter arma
silent Musae</I>" -- "Amid wars the Muses are silent." I am
convinced that though there may be many soldiers among the participants of
the 14th NATO Workshop, our discussions, our ability to come together to
take part in the discussions, and the conclusions we draw from our
meetings will not only keep the Muses from being silent but will encourage
them to speak.</FONT></FONT> </P>
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