George Voinovich: “Last week, May 14-15, Secretary of State Colin Powell joined foreign ministers from all 19 members of the NATO Alliance…”

“Last week, May 14-15, Secretary of State Colin Powell joined foreign ministers from all 19 members of the NATO Alliance in Reykjavik, Iceland, where they began to lay the groundwork for the Summit of the NATO Alliance in Prague this November. As many of my colleagues are aware, three themes have emerged to fill the agenda in Prague: first, discussion of NATO's capabilities and the ability to respond to today's most urgent threats; second, the selection of new members; and third, the beginning of new relationships with Russia, Ukraine and other members of the international community. During the two-day ministerial meeting in Reykjavik, Secretary Powell and his NATO colleagues addressed each of these issues, beginning with the announcement of a new NATO-Russia Council. As the British foreign minister put it, we saw the end of the cold war--again. The agreement, which is to be finalized in Rome on May 28th, puts Russia and the 19 members of the NATO Alliance at the same table, as equal partners, to discuss a number of issues, including counterterrorism, military cooperation, nonproliferation and peacekeeping. While establishing new areas in which NATO and Russia will work together, the agreement makes certain that NATO will maintain complete control over enlargement and core military issues.”