Post by MiG on Dec 5, 2009 14:55:06 GMT -5
Montenegro secures path to NATO membership, Bosnia must wait
by Paul Ames
BRUSSELS, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- NATO foreign ministers agreed Friday to put Montenegro on track to join the military alliance, barely 10 years after NATO warplanes bombed the Balkan nation during the Kosovo War.
"Montenegro has made substantial progress in reform and continues to contribute actively to security in the region," the NATO ministers said in a statement, "On that basis, we are pleased today to invite Montenegro to move towards NATO membership."
There was disappointment, however, for Bosnia-Herzegovina, which was told to implement further reforms despite it offering a Membership Action Plan (MAP) -- the road map for NATO membership.
Ironically, NATO launched bombing raids to defend Bosnia during the war there in the early 1990s, while Montenegro became a target for allied planes in 1999 when it was still locked with Serbia in what remained of Yugoslavia.
Since Montenegro peacefully gained independence in 2006, the nation of 700,000 has steadily improved relations with the West. The government recently announced it would send 40 soldiers to join the NATO-led force in Afghanistan.
"This decision is important for Montenegro and for its European and Atlantic aspirations," said Montenegro's Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic in a statement.
Although the NATO membership process could still take several years, Montenegro is now on track to become the alliance's 29th member. However, it could be edged by Macedonia, which needs to resolve the long-running dispute with Greece over its name which prevented it joining the alliance this year.
Bosnia's efforts to draw closer to NATO and the European Union have long been hampered by continued ethnic tensions, political instability, widespread corruption and organized crime.
"We have decided that Bosnia and Herzegovina will join MAP once it achieves the necessary progress in its reform efforts," the NATO ministers said in a statement.
Last week, due to lack of law enforcement reform, Bosnia, along with Kosovo and Albania, was left out of a EU visa-liberalization agreement which will allow citizens of Montenegro, Serbia and Macedonia to travel freely to EU countries.
Despite its concerns, NATO insisted that it still wanted Bosniato become a member one day.
"There should be no doubt in Bosnia-Herzegovina: we want to see you in MAP, we want to see you in NATO," said alliance Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. "It's not a question of if but when."
NATO and EU officials are concerned that the Balkans could fallback into conflict if they are not offered the prospect of membership in mainstream Euro-Atlantic institutions.
by Paul Ames
BRUSSELS, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- NATO foreign ministers agreed Friday to put Montenegro on track to join the military alliance, barely 10 years after NATO warplanes bombed the Balkan nation during the Kosovo War.
"Montenegro has made substantial progress in reform and continues to contribute actively to security in the region," the NATO ministers said in a statement, "On that basis, we are pleased today to invite Montenegro to move towards NATO membership."
There was disappointment, however, for Bosnia-Herzegovina, which was told to implement further reforms despite it offering a Membership Action Plan (MAP) -- the road map for NATO membership.
Ironically, NATO launched bombing raids to defend Bosnia during the war there in the early 1990s, while Montenegro became a target for allied planes in 1999 when it was still locked with Serbia in what remained of Yugoslavia.
Since Montenegro peacefully gained independence in 2006, the nation of 700,000 has steadily improved relations with the West. The government recently announced it would send 40 soldiers to join the NATO-led force in Afghanistan.
"This decision is important for Montenegro and for its European and Atlantic aspirations," said Montenegro's Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic in a statement.
Although the NATO membership process could still take several years, Montenegro is now on track to become the alliance's 29th member. However, it could be edged by Macedonia, which needs to resolve the long-running dispute with Greece over its name which prevented it joining the alliance this year.
Bosnia's efforts to draw closer to NATO and the European Union have long been hampered by continued ethnic tensions, political instability, widespread corruption and organized crime.
"We have decided that Bosnia and Herzegovina will join MAP once it achieves the necessary progress in its reform efforts," the NATO ministers said in a statement.
Last week, due to lack of law enforcement reform, Bosnia, along with Kosovo and Albania, was left out of a EU visa-liberalization agreement which will allow citizens of Montenegro, Serbia and Macedonia to travel freely to EU countries.
Despite its concerns, NATO insisted that it still wanted Bosniato become a member one day.
"There should be no doubt in Bosnia-Herzegovina: we want to see you in MAP, we want to see you in NATO," said alliance Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. "It's not a question of if but when."
NATO and EU officials are concerned that the Balkans could fallback into conflict if they are not offered the prospect of membership in mainstream Euro-Atlantic institutions.
Source: news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-12/04/content_12591809.htm