Brussels, 08/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - As President Bush promised in his speech on 1 May on the new American thinking regarding strategy, deterrence and missile defence, an initial consultation between the United States and the Allies was held at NATO Headquarters on 8 May. The Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman and the Deputy National Security Advisor, Steve Hadley presented the NATO Permanent Council with this new "thinking" on the strategic future in the world of the 21st century
The visit by the American delegation, Mr. Grossman stressed before the press, had as main goal to describe to the Allies the "thinking" of the new Administration and "hear back their reactions and suggestions" and put over the essential message that "the world of 2001 is no longer the world of 1972" (the ABM Treaty dates back to 1972: Ed). Indeed, the American official noted, "Russia is no longer an enemy", but there is the problem of the "proliferation of weapons of mass destruction". Thought must therefore be given to how to "deal with this threat". "It is not just a question of missile defence", "Washington believes in deterrence and collective defence", but "we need to meet the new threats", he added.
The Allies "recognize that the world has changed, that there are new threats," Mr. Grossman believed, stressing that the goal was to "continue the debate" on the "new strategic framework and on strategic stability", debate that demands "comprehensive collective efforts". The Ambassadors told the American delegation of the importance they attached to "consultations with Russia" on all strategic issues, and Mr. Grossman said that Messrs. Daley and Wolfowitz would go to Moscow on Friday for consultations, and recalled that State Secretaries Powell and Rumsfeld would be in Europe for talks with NATO in June.
Immediately after the meeting with the American delegation, Lord Robertson, welcomed this briefing on missile defence and the "new concepts of deterrence", considering that that was "just the beginning of a thorough process" and appreciating the American commitment to consultation in the North Atlantic Council "before any decisions have been taken".
"As the American team made clear, we have engendered a thinking process in which we are not just exchanging information, but truly considering together the new challenges (…) and how best to deal with them", said the Secretary General, welcoming the United States' determination to "have a genuine dialogue" with other concerned parties, especially Russia and China".
Today's meeting, Lord Robertson concluded, shows the determination of all NATO members to continue working together to "find answers to the new risks and problems of the 21st Century".