Joe Biden: “This bill merely reaffirms the open-door policy for NATO enlargement which was first enunciated by the Clinton…”

“This bill merely reaffirms the open-door policy for NATO enlargement which was first enunciated by the Clinton administration and now has been continued by the Bush administration. It does not authorize new funds that would throw the budget out of whack. It merely authorizes monies that have already been appropriated by the Arms Export Control Act. Voting for this legislation does not indicate any Member's intention to vote for or against any potential aspirant to NATO. Exactly which countries will be invited by the alliance is a decision that will be made more than 6 months from now at a NATO summit in Prague, and thorough Senate debate on ratification of NATO enlargement will occur sometime at the end of this year and the beginning of the next. Everyone is going to have an opportunity to decide whether they are for or against this.”