NATO to Macedonia: DonÃt Get Your Hopes Up
Macedonia, along with Albania and Croatia, have been told that they shouldn’t accept much from the alliance at its annual summit in Istanbul, to be held on June 28-29. While not entirely unexpected, the news is a bit dismaying for a government that has been optimistically selling its citizens on a 2006 guaranteed entry into the trans-Atlantic military club.While the three have achieved progress” in reforms and administrative efforts, according to a senior Bush administration official, they should not expect any hard information on an invitation for NATO membership, nor a firm date for when the next round of NATO expansion will actually be held.
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld added earlier this week that the Istanbul NATO Summit will merely be “…a forum, at which further improvement of the cooperation with the three countries will be discussed.” And NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer conceded that “signs of encouragement” will have to do.
The administration official who conveyed the bad news, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Robert Bradtke, bravely tried to strike an optimistic chord. “…The Alliance will recognize the accomplishments of all three countries, encourage their efforts for further reforms and repeat the wish to see their success. That is what the three Adriatic Charter group countries can expect” said Bradtke, according to Dnevnik.
These revelations came as an embarrassment for Balkan leaders who were simultaneously displaying much good cheer regarding their prospects in Istanbul. Meeting in Skopje last week, Macedonian, Albanian and Croatian Defense Ministers Vlado Buchkovski, Pandeli Majko and Berislav Roncevic stated that they expected to receive “a clear message” in Istanbul about their future membership. Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski claimed that “…we have many reasons to believe that Macedonia will be invited to join the Alliance in 2006.” This is the date Defense Minister Buchkovski has been giving since last year. Crvenkovski also voiced his “great expectations” for the upcoming summit.
That said, the three members of the so-called “Adriatic Charter,” a grouping which came into existence on May 3 were not pleased to hear the Bush administration’s lukewarm rhetoric. The June 17 meeting, led by NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and including foreign ministers of Macedonia (Ilinka Mitreva), Albania (Kastriot Islami) and Croatia (Miomir Zuzul) was somewhat strained. Ms. Zuzul was especially adamant, according to Utrinski Vesnik demanding “…a clear wording in Istanbul, something more solid than the “open-door” policy. After hearing the [NATO] ambassadors, I expect such a wording to be included in the declaration.”
While the Macedonian delegation spoke of reforms and harmonious regional cooperation, their hosts had more tangible requests. American Ambassador Nicholas Burns requested that the aspiring states “be more active” in staffing America’s overseas adventures, chiefly in Afghanistan and Iraq.
However, the specific message sent to Macedonia was that no progress will made until implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement is sped up, and decentralization finished “as soon as possible.” Burns also lambasted Croatia’s failure to make a token sacrifice to the Hague by handing over Ante Gotovina for alleged war crimes. Albania got off the hook relatively lightly, being told merely to “strengthen the rule of law” and implement various reforms. Apparently, no (public) request was made for the country to use its influence to subdue nationalist extremist elements in Kosovo and Macedonia- though these elements are a major factor in the West Balkans’ unattractiveness to NATO and European institutions.
Rumsfeld, whose remarks were triggered by the Brussels meeting of the Albanian, Croatian and Macedonian foreign ministers last week, stated that “…I believe that Macedonia, Albania and Croatia are in a phase of implementation of the Action plan for membership and the reforms in the sphere of defense.”
This is not to say that the countries lack supporters altogether. Last Tuesday saw Croatian Defense Minister Roncevic travel to Paris to meet with his French counterpart Michele Alliot-Marie. The latter “…promised her country’s support, and ’spoke about Croatia several times as a future NATO member’” said Roncevic, who added that he was confident of French support for Croatian membership.
As for Macedonia, its biggest support will come, as usual, from longtime friend Turkey, whose influence may be heightened by the fact that it is hosting the summit. When NATO documents mention Macedonia, they tend to end with a footnote that informs, “Turkey recognizes the Republic of Macedonia by its constitutional name.” Turkey enjoys doing this partly to rile up the Greeks, but also out of a genuine affinity for its former colony. Turkey’s support for co-religionist Albania has also been assured.
Zaman reported earlier this month that officials led by the Parliamentary European Union’s (E.U.) Adaptation Council Head, Yasar Yakis, are pushing for a government resolution on giving the candidate countries a solid timetable at the summit. Turkey-Macedonia Friendship Group leader and Justice and Development Party (AKP) member, Niyazi Pakyurek is also a main organizer.
The text of the initiative forwarded by these supporters says that: “…The Turkish Parliament supports the provision of a concrete perspective to Macedonia, Albania and Croatia to be a member of NATO. Therefore, it calls on the government to provide a confirmation among alliances.”
What does the future hold for NATO enlargement? Keep informed with the following books:
NATO Enlargement 2000-2015: Determinants and Implications for Defense Planning and Shaping
The Future of NATO: Enlargement, Russia, and European Security
NATO Enlargement and Central Europe: A Study in Civil-Military Relations