James Oberstar: “last year during consideration of the NATO Enlargement Facilitation Act of 1996, the other body voted to designate…”

“last year during consideration of the NATO Enlargement Facilitation Act of 1996, the other body voted to designate Slovenia along with Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic as nations that have made progress toward meeting NATO's criteria for new members. And Slovenia certainly stands out as a sterling candidate for admission to NATO, and I appreciate the support on the Democratic side and on the Republican side of the committee in accepting the Senate amendment in conference. We are soon to witness the Madrid meeting that will discuss the enlargement of NATO. I would urge the administration to keep uppermost on their agenda Slovenia as a candidate for the first round of expansion. Slovenia has moved successfully to privatize its economy. Everything from banking to aviation has been privatized. They have democratized their politics and their government. They have created 158 local governments and had local elections. They are a significant force in the modernization of trade in the former East European areas and deserve to be a member of NATO. Mr. Speaker, I urge the administration to accept Slovenia in this first round.”