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<TITLE>Austrian Defense Minister Dr. Werner Fasslabend's Welcoming Address
to the 15th NATO Workshop, Vienna, Austria, in June 1998.</TITLE>
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CONTENT="Austrian Defense Minister Dr. Werner Fasslabend's welcome to the 15th NATO Workshop in the Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austria in June, 1998. Dr. Fasslabend describes the current challenges to European security and how to approach them. The NATO Workshop Chairmen were SACEUR General Wesley Clark and Roger Weissinger-Baylon.">
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<BODY LINK="0000ff" BGPROPERTIES="FIXED" BGCOLOR="ffffff"><BASEFONT SIZE="3">
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT COLOR="000000" SIZE="6" FACE="Arial"><B>Welcoming Remarks</B>
</FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT COLOR="000000" SIZE="4" FACE="Arial">Austrian
Minister of Defence Dr. Werner Fasslabend</FONT> </P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="000000" SIZE="3">I will try to find out if
there was a way to bring you back from the Flamish and Italien art from
the 16<SUP>th</SUP> and 17<SUP>th</SUP> centuries to security policy in
the 21<SUP>st</SUP> century and I thought, maybe, I should make a few
remarks before. And I thought, the best way to start would be our symbol
of this conference, this rider on horseback. Many people probably have
asked already, who this is. This is a statue on Heldenplatz. It could be
seen immediately to the left to the papal altar, and it shows a very
famous man, famous in central Europe, but probably all over Europe. It is
Prince Eugene of Savoy, who served three Habsburg emperors. He lived from
1663 to 1736 and he probably was the most successful field marshal in
Austrian history. He was of French and Italian descent, his mother was a
niece of cardinal Mazarin, who lived at the court of Louis XIV. When he
was a young man, he offered his services to the French king, but he did
not want him, because he was too small. So he went to Vienna to the
Habsburg Family. He was accepted because there was a great need for young
and keen men, and because the Ottoman Turks were already on their way to
Vienna, which they called the Golden Apple. Sometimes, I remember that New
York is called the Big Apple. In those days, Vienna was the Golden Apple
for the Turkish people. </FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="000000" SIZE="3">Prince Eugene of Savoy
became an Austrian officer, and, when Vienna was besieged in 1683, he was
already here, and he was very successful. Afterwards, he became the most
successful field marshal and officer in Austrian history. As I said, he
beat the Turks in many historic battles. The most famous one was the
battle of Zenta, where the Turks lost their war treasury. It was never
found, but from that moment onwards, Prince Eugene of Savoy was said to be
the richest man in Europe. You could see, also in this exposition in this
museum, quite a lot of palaces, the Belvedere being one of the most
beautiful palaces in Vienna, or the one of Schloßhof near Vienna. It
was built by the war architect of Prince Eugene, because he was the man
who was not only an absolutly splendid field marshal, but he also was a
man of arts. His collection is one of the most important art treasures,
for example of our national library up to now. I could tell you so many
things, he fought together with the Duke of Marlborough against the
French, but what I just want you to know is that he was a man who tried to
combine military skills with arts and with diplomatic skills. And I think
we should also try, at least a little, to use him as a model for our time,
and the same goes for the Congress of Vienna. Now people only remember
that they were dancing there, and a new order for Europe was born. But if
you look back a year from then, there was the battle of Leipzig. I just
want to mention that the commander in chief was Prince Schwarzenberg from
Austria, and the chief of staff was our General Radetzky, but what I want
to express is, that also the peace that was the result of the Congress of
Vienna established a peace order for almost half a century, and this was
only possible because there was also a military solution before. In the
same way, Dayton was only possible because there was a very efficient
activity and mission by NATO just a few weeks before. And that’s what
we should learn for the future! </FONT> </P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="000000" SIZE="3">And therefore I’ll try
to make a few remarks also to our time. I’m absolutely convinced that
last year we startetd to go in a new period. The transformation period in
the post-cold war era and period has ended. We are now entering a
constructive period, away from transformation. We are going into a
construction period. And this means for me not that things have become
easier, but we have to look at the goals even more seriously and we will
have to do more planning, as we did in the last few years during the
transformation period. And if I look at NATO and the goals, and if I look
to the European situation, I am still convinced that there is only one
option for stability for the coming decades in Europe, out of the three
possible options which are: Hegemony of the old style as during the cold
war, or the balance of power in the model of the 19<SUP>th</SUP> century.
The third one is integration. And I’m absolutely convinced that
integration is the only way to stabilise this continent and a durable
model. </FONT> </P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="000000" SIZE="3">Just think of the fact, that
after rhe end of the cold war we have 14 more countries of different sizes
in Europe. You will realize that this will not allow to establish a model
of balance of power. The way of Integration we be the only one that can be
a durable model to stabilize it. And therefore I think that NATO will have
a very important task to secure this way of integration, to give Europe a
fair chance to develop its own model, to shape this new architecture. And
I am also convinced that there are a few preconditions to do it: And one
of them is, and I am absolutely convinced that this is necessary, that
America and Europe will have to formulate a new strategy for a common
future. A common strategy - NATO has one, but I am also convinced that it
is necessary that both NATO and the EU formulate a common strategy for the
future. The one in the field of security policy, and the other one in the
field of economy. Everybody is talking about the fact that security is not
only military security any more. Of course it is not, but we should also
learn the lesson. This also means that we have to combine these two
factors much more closely than we did in the past. </FONT> </P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="000000" SIZE="3">And I am also convinced that
we should try to find a well-balanced relationship between America and
Europe. I feel that sometimes there is some uneasiness in their
relationship, and I think, uneasiness can easily become more than just
uneasiness; it can become a danger for a good partnership. And therefore I
think we should work on this relationship between America and Europe, and
it should be well balanced. This means for me also that Europe has to
become and will have to have much more capacity to operate. We don’t
have to blame the Americans, they are efficient. They are efficicient in
formulating their intentions and also with their instruments. We can learn
a lot, and we must, if that partnership really should be a partnership. I
think there are also a few more points on our agenda, and I want to be
pragmatic. The first way towards a pragmatic agenda for me would be, to
bring more awareness to the European people and to the European
politicians, more awareness of the vital interests of this continent. If
you listen to politicians and to people in Europe, you never will hear
expressions of the vital interests of Europe. It seems that they don’t
exsist, and maybe, they don’t, because energy questions in the Middle
East and in the Caucasus regions are managed by the Americans. But I think
that Europeans have to be aware of the fact that those are vital questions
also for Europeans. If we gain this awareness it also will be easier to
develop a common strategy between America and Europe. </FONT> </P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="000000" SIZE="3">Another point is that I
believe that NATO will have to remain strong. Strong and efficient. And
what I mean is that every new member must bring more efficiency and
certainly not less strength. Therefore I am absolutely convinced that
there must be a process of integration also in the future, but it must be
a step by step process. For quite some time there’ll probably be a
mixture of membership, partnership and association, cooperation and other
forms of working together. We should not make the mistake to think that
all future members must be cloned. They need not have exactly the same
shape. I think they must bring something into the alliance, something
specific. It would be absolutely wrong, to ask all the countries to bring
just the same achievements and the same records and the same profiles as
all the others. I think that synergisms should evolve from an untcloned,
but diversified pattern of members. Of course, military organisations need
a very sound profile, and that is very similar or equal. I think there can
be no question about that. </FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="000000" SIZE="3">I think we should initiate a
process of homogenisation. What does that mean? I think that all EU
members should become also members of NATO. In the long run, we should try
to have identity in membership, otherwise I could see the danger that
these two organisations could grow appart, at least a little bit. And what
we could also do is to formulate goals, to find fields of cooperations and
instruments and procedures to cooperate between EU and NATO. I am
absolutely sure that the EU will not do it. I think NATO should try to do
it. </FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="000000" SIZE="3">This could be the beginning,
a start of a new cooperation between these two organisations. I am also
convinced that it will also be necessary to get friends back into this
organisation, fully intigrated also into the military structures. Just by
the fact that France together with Germany forms the backbone of the EU.
And if you want to have an efficient combined structure, you will need
them also within NATO. I think the time could be right in the next few
years to take this step, and we should back all the French polititians who
will try to go this way. </FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="000000" SIZE="3">We should prevent crises
between NATO members, and of course I am thinking of Greece and of Turkey.
The case of missiles in CYPRUS is immidiately before us, and we will have
to try to manage it. And when we talked about backing Turkey on its way
into the European Institutions yesterday, I am absolutely convinced that
Europe made a big mistake in the last few months. A big mistake, because
excluding Turkey mentally means for me, that it is a passive and defensive
concept, not an active and offensive one for Europe in the long run. Who
does not see that, does not understand history. That’s what I am
absolutely convinced of. </FONT> </P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="000000" SIZE="3">I was really impressed by
the speech of President MERI, President of Estonia, this morning. He
talked about his view of Russia. And what impressed me most was that he
just compared it with other democracies, pointing out how long it took
them to become stabilized. He asked for our patience for the coming two to
three decades. That means probably that our concept with respect to Russia
has to have many more long term aspects as is the case now.And that means
also that we will have to try very, very hard to get Russia into that
family, and that we never should abandon principles just in order to get a
good relationship. That’s what I’m absolutely convinced of.
</FONT> </P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="000000" SIZE="3">The last point is that the
success of an organisation also depends on the capacity it has to resolve
current problems. And the most current one is Kosovo, a very complex one.
Maybe we will have legal problems, problems of mandate, but still, I’m
personally absolutely convinced that probably the highest value for NATO
will be credibility! Credibility also of the will and of the capacity to
resolve current problems. I think, most of us could have a hard time in
the coming months looking at this problem because it will not be easy.
</FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="000000" SIZE="3">But we have to go through!
In a manner that we can maintain this position we will take against the
views of our children. That’s what I think we are responsible for: To
create a world our kids can be proud of, and I’m sure they will not
be proud if our generation should admit that there will be a next war in
the Balkans. That’s what I am convinced of. </FONT> </P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT COLOR="000000" SIZE="3">I’ll come to an end
now, and may be, it should not be as serious as the part I have talked
about now, and so I’ll go back to the symbol of Prince Eugene from
Savoy. I don’t know how many of you know the Prince Eugene march. It’s
a very famous march and every child in central Europe knows it, and you
also know the lyrics which says that he had a bridge built, so that he
could reach the city and fortress of Belgrade. This was certainly not an
allusion to the current situation on the Balkans. I just wanted to mention
it, but we also should be able to smile a little bit about some very
serious situations. And so I want to tell you one more story just from the
beginning, when we visited the exposition and all these paintings. I was
with the first group and after a few minutes we had an alarm as we were
looking at a painting by Brueghel. I really was afraid when I saw that
this alarm was triggered by the Dutch defense minister! You know, I like
Joris VOORHOEVE, he is such a great guy, but of course there are moments
you cannot trust anyone. So, I really was happy that I learned a positive
lesson. It was just by chance, and I thought there was another lesson I
had to learn. In the past, when something in my ministry, or in former
times in my company did not work out the way I wanted to, I said to my
people, “You have a logistics like in a museum” and from this
day on, I have the feeling I will alter, I will change a little bit the
pronunciation. In future I,ll say “I think, You have a logistics like
in a museum!” If you feel the same way, I just wish that you will
appriciate the coming few hours in this museum. </FONT></P>
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