Powell meets with new eastern Europe NATO leaders

(30 Mar 2004) 1. US Secretary of State Colin Powell walks into room, applauding new NATO members also stood at podium 2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Colin Powell, US Secretary of State: "Today heralds a great occasion, it''s a great accomplishment. NATO''s enlargement together with that of the European Union on May 1st brings us closer to that very, very vital vision of ours - a Europe whole, free and at peace. This ceremony however does not mark an ending - it marks a beginning. Our common future will be bright. It will be worthy of the sacrifices of those who have come before us and worthy of the dreams of those not yet born. We have to make that future happen. The threats to freedom today are different from those of the 20th century, but they are no less ominous. We still live in a dangerous world where our enemy seeks not only the death of multitudes but the death of liberty itself. They will not succeed for we stand united in the global war against terrorism, war that compels the resistance of all free peoples and must be won by free peoples together in alliance. Each of your countries has been an active participant in this struggle. Your contributions in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Balkans and elsewhere bear witness to your devotion to our common security. My friends, for most of its existence NATO has been concerned mainly with the defence of common territory. NATO is now transformed as only a league of democracies can be into an alliance concerned mainly with the defence of common interests and common ideals. NATO was determined above all to prevent aggression, now is determined above all to promote freedom, to extend the reach of liberty and deepen the peace. I am confident that with the new energy these seven nations bring to our alliance, our alliance will be as successful in the future as it has been in the past." 3. Seven prime ministers present papers to Powell and handshakes 4. Audience applauds STORYLINE: The United States on Monday welcomed seven former Soviet-dominated nations joining the 55-year-old North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) alliance. US Secretary of State Colin Powell accepted the seven countries "instruments of accession" in a ceremony at the State Department. Powell said the energy the seven new nations would bring to NATO would help make the alliance as successful as it ever had been. With the addition of Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, NATO''s membership grows from 19 countries to 26. The new members will take part in their first meeting on Friday in Brussels. Three other nations, Albania, Croatia and Macedonia, are also due to join the alliance. NATO has agreed to include the Baltic states under its air defence shield, planning to enforce it by stationing four F-16 fighter planes in Lithuania. Russia has cast a wary eye on the expansion of NATO, which was established during the Cold War to shield the United States, Canada and 10 European countries from threats that included the then Soviet Union's military might. US officials have minimised worries that NATO expansion could cause tensions with Russia, but President Vladimir Putin''s government has warned that Moscow intends to take steps to defend itself should it perceive NATO's eastward push as a threat. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...