Kay Bailey Hutchison: “Senator Nunn and I and other Democrats and Republicans have been talking about NATO expansion. We are very concerned…”

“Senator Nunn and I and other Democrats and Republicans have been talking about NATO expansion. We are very concerned that the debate needs to take place, that Americans need to understand what is important, what the questions should be, and what should be the criteria for the expansion of NATO. After all, all of us understand that NATO is a mutual defense pact. And if we expand NATO, we must ask for and receive from the entering nation defense assurances, and we must also give those same defense assurances. Therefore, we are talking about American troops and American tax dollars, just as all of our NATO allies will be looking at the obligations they must accept. All of us must realize how very important and crucial this decision is going to be. The expansion of NATO is a strategic decision that must not be made in haste and must not be made before we answer the crucial questions. So Senator Nunn and I are taking this hour, along with others of our colleagues, to talk about it.”