40 lawmakers press Kerry on NATO expansion
February 10, 2014, 06:26 pm
By Julian Pecquet
Forty lawmakers of both parties
have written to Secretary of State John
Kerry urging him to make NATO's
expansion to eastern Europe a “key priority” amid Russian pushback in Ukraine.
The letter doesn't mention Moscow by name but warns
ominously of “outside forces” threatening the ex-communist bloc's westward
shift. It calls for NATO to grant Macedonia
and Montenegro membership
during the annual summit in September while helping pave the way for Georgia,
Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina to eventually join the fold.
“It is our firm belief that the
genuine prospect of NATO membership for the current group of aspirant states
will further strengthen democratic institutions and values and increase
stability and security in the region,” the letter states. “In contrast, failure
to recognize and reward their significant efforts could discourage aspirant
countries from pursuing further democratic reforms and weaken their commitment
to partnering with Euro-Atlantic institutions.”
The letter goes on to say that the
Ukrainian government's decision to abandon an agreement with the European Union in favor of closer ties
with Russia “raises concerns about back-sliding
on democracy and the possibility that states in the region will be pressured by
outside forces seeking to divide the continent and undermine the vision of a
Europe whole, free, and at peace.”
In addition to Russia, the push is opposed by NATO member Greece,
which has vetoed Macedonia's
membership over a dispute surrounding the country's name.
The letter was spearheaded by Rep.
Michael Turner (R-Ohio), the chairman of the U.S. Delegation to the NATO
Parliamentary Assembly and a member of the Macedonia Caucus. Joining him as
lead author was Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat on the House
Foreign Affairs panel.
“As we approach the 2014 NATO
Summit,” Engel said in a statement, “it is important that the United States supports the aspirations of those
states which seek to integrate with the Alliance.”
NATO
Ivo
H. Daalder is the U.S.
permanent representative for NATO,
and was a senior fellow at the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
Note: John R. Allen was
the supreme allied commander Europe nominee
for NATO, and is a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution
(think tank), the Human Rights Watch,
and the Aspen Institute (think tank).
George Soros
was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, a benefactor
at the Human Rights Watch, and is a board
member for the International Crisis
Group.
Strobe
Talbott is the president of the Brookings Institution (think tank),
and John R. Bass was his chief of
staff.
John
R. Bass was Strobe Talbott’s chief
of staff, the U.S. ambassador
for Georgia,
and is the U.S. ambassador
to Georgia for the Barack Obama administration.
Steven
Pifer was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank),
and the U.S. ambassador for Ukraine.
Thomas R.
Pickering is a distinguished fellow at the Brookings Institution (think
tank), and the U.S.
ambassador for Russia.
Cameron
F. Kerry is a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and John
F. Kerry’s brother.
Teresa
Heinz Kerry is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think
tank), and married to John F. Kerry.
John F. Kerry
is Cameron F. Kerry’s brother, married to Teresa Heinz Kerry, and
the secretary at the U.S. Department of State for the Barack Obama
administration.
Javier
Solana is a director at the Human
Rights Watch, a trustee at the Aspen
Institute (think tank), a board member for the International Crisis Group, was the high representative for common
foreign & security policy for the European
Union, and the secretary general for NATO.
Phillips
Talbot was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen
Institute (think tank), and the U.S.
ambassador for Greece.
Thomas R.
Pickering was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and the U.S.
ambassador for Russia.
No comments:
Post a Comment