William Helms: “the amendment offered by the distinguished Senator from Colorado [Mr. Brown] is an important step for the countries of…”

“the amendment offered by the distinguished Senator from Colorado [Mr. Brown] is an important step for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe who seek to ensure their security and sovereignty as full members of the NATO Alliance. As an original cosponsor of this legislation when it was introduced in June--the last foreign policy initiative authored by Senator Dole before he left the Senate--I am pleased to be a cosponsor of Senator Brown's amendment. This legislation serves to correct the terrible injustice perpetrated at Yalta half a century ago, when for reasons of political expediency artificial divisions were imposed on Europe, subjecting countries with democratic traditions similar to those in Western Europe to decades of communist domination. In the years since the Iron Curtain was lifted from the European continent, many countries in Central and Eastern Europe have made dramatic progress in resurrecting their democratic histories and instituting reform measures that solidify their commitment to the democratic ideals espoused by members of the NATO Alliance. I firmly believe that enlarging NATO to include those countries which are capable of contributing to the Alliance is in the interests of the United States. Our country knows too well the danger of allowing a security vacuum to persist in this region and should work actively to encourage closer ties between the countries in Central and Eastern Europe and the West.”