Brussels, 08/03/2000 (Agence Europe) - US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will conclude on Friday in Brusselts a visit to Europe that got under way last Friday in Lisbon with a meeting with the European Union Troika and a trilateral EU/United States/Russia meeting. In Brussels, Mrs Albright will meet Romano Prodi and Chris Patten at the European Commission, Javier Solana at the EU Council (with whom she will hold a lunch-time meeting) and Lord Robertson at NATO.
At the press conference at the conclusion of the US/EU Troika ministerial meeting, on 3 March in Lisbon, Madeleine Albright stated that "we continued our productive dialogue on the European Security and Defence Identity, for which I reiterated America's strong support". The United States welcomes the prospect of a "Europe with more modern and flexible forces that strengthen NATO and also Europe's ability to act when the Alliance is not engaged", she added. Mrs Albright also stated: "We will continue to work together closely to ensure that NATO-EU linkages enhance both institutions, and to support the involvement of non-EU NATO allies in EU security deliberations". Mrs Albright answered questions on the repercussions of a greater European military commitment on the American military commitment in Europe, saying that "we will always judge what is in our national interest (…). So I do think that there are certain activities where if the US believes it is in our national interest to be involved, we will be, through NATO and otherwise." (On the subject of American reactions to the development of the European Security and Defence Policy, see also EUROPE of 23 February, page 5, for a report on the European Parliament/NATO Parliamentary Assembly meeting).
Observing that 5 March was the 30th anniversary of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Mrs Albright stated in Lisbon that she looked forward to the United States and the EU "working in tandem to ensure a positive and productive NPT Review Conference in New York next month". (See in yesterday's EUROPE, page 6, the declaration by the Portuguese Presidency of the EU on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the NPT).