USA: NATO: PREPARATIONS FOR 50TH ANNIVERSARY

(20 Apr 1999) Natural Sound Preparations are underway in Washington, DC for the 50th Anniversary meeting of the North American Treaty Organisation or NATO. Hundreds of delegates, television, radio crews and reporters, as well as aides and top government officials will be in town for a three day summit which begins on Friday. U-S Armed forces in Fort Myer, Virginia were practising in the lead up to this weeks 50th Anniversary of the North American Treaty Organisation or NATO. In Washington, much of the downtown is expected to be closed off to local traffic as scores of delegates, world leaders and staff generals arrive for the meeting. NATO's 19 member nations, along with most of the alliance's 24 partners in the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, will take part in the conference. Conceived at the end of WWII, the alliance was created to help contain the spread of Communism into western Europe. Now, with former members of the Eastern block joining up, NATO is taking on a new character. The conflict over Kosovo has dampened the celebratory spirit of the event. However, it will still serve as an occasion to stand firm on demands that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic comes to an agreement over Kosovo, the southern province of Serbia. While Kosovo seems certain to dominate the summit, there are a variety of other other key elements for discussion. They include a revised strategic concept, NATO's basic declaration of purpose, the European Security and Defense Identity, which will allow European nations to conduct military operations on their own, while using NATO assets, and what's being called a "vision statement", explaining where the alliance is headed in the 21st century. The strategic concept, last updated in 1991 will look at the threats of the future - regional conflicts, ethnic wars, weapons of mass destruction and terrorism. It will also outline what kind of forces NATO should have to deal with these new threats. Europe and American news agencies have descended on Washington to cover the conference for the world. Meanwhile all around Washington clean-up crews are busy with mops, soap, scrubbing compounds and other materials that will brighten up chrome, brass and wrought iron. 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...