Robert Smith: “The Gerald B.H. Solomon Freedom Consolidation Act reaffirms the Senate's support for continued enlargement of NATO…”

“The Gerald B.H. Solomon Freedom Consolidation Act reaffirms the Senate's support for continued enlargement of NATO, without naming any names of who should receive an invitation to join. It also demonstrates that extending security and stability in Europe through the enlargement of the most successful military alliance in modern history is not a partisan issue. The bill endorses the vision of further enlargement of NATO articulated by President Bush on June 15, 2001, when he stated that, ``all of Europe's new democracies, from the Baltic to the Black Sea and all that lie between, should have the same chance for security and freedom.'' It also endorses the statement of former President Clinton, who in 1996, said, ``NATO's doors will not close behind its first new members . . .”