Albania A Step Closer To NATO

BRUSSELS, July 9 – Albania, together with Croatia, signed a set of protocols with NATO on Wednesday, considered an important step prior to joining the alliance.
A dispute with neighboring Greece over its name continues to keep Macedonia from being accepted into NATO.
The signing ceremony was held at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels and considered largely a formality since NATO had already agreed to bring the two Balkan countries into the organization at a summit in Bucharest this past April.
“This is a historical achievement, not just for these two countries but for the entire Atlantic community of nations,” said NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. “Albania and Croatia have implemented major political and military reforms and, therefore, earned their rightful place at our table.”
The protocols, signed by the ambassadors of NATO member states in the presence of the Albanian and Croatian foreign ministers, alter the North Atlantic Treaty נNATO’s founding document נto add the two Adriatic states’ names to the list of members.
NATO membership is”the fulfillment of the paramount ambition of the Albanian people,” and the ceremony “marks the crowning of our long and determined efforts,”Albanian Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha said.
“This is a historical moment for Croatia:Joining the alliance represents one of the most important moments in our history,”Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic said. “This is the final chapter of a long process for Croatia and Albania … a unique privilege for our generation.”
Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha hailed the signing, saying is was the result of decisive reforms undertaken by his executive since coming to power three years ago.
Berisha also thanked all Albanian peacekeeping military units serving in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq, calling them missionaries of Albania’s integration processes.
He also said that Albania would positively respond to any NATO request for troops. “We shall work hard to quickly achieve full membership,” he said.
NATO’s current members will now have to ratify the protocols in their national parliaments. Once they have done so, Albania and Croatia will have to also ratify the modified version of the treaty, becoming full members as soon as they deliver the ratification documents to Washington.
NATO leaders invited the two Adriatic states to join their alliance at a summit in Bucharest in April.
Officials say that once the accession protocols have been signed, the ratification process usually takes about one year. During that period, the soon-to-be members have the right to take part in most NATO meetings, but they do not sit among current members and they have no role in decision-making.
However, NATO leaders have indicated that they hope the process can be completed in time for the alliance’s 60th anniversary in April 2009. The anniversary is to be marked by a summit in the French town of Strasbourg and its German neighbor, Kehl.
The signing is widely regarded as a blow to Macedonia’s hopes of, at the same time, joining NATO.