To me, this is a settled issue. Enlargement is as inevitable politically as it is necessary morally. It will remove the invisible barriers that still divide Europe. It will give the new democracies to our East confidence in their future political and economic development. And it will prevent the expensive and potentially dangerous re-nationalisation of their defence policies.
Enlargement is therefore about much more than military interoperability.
So, the decision to invite Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic to join NATO marked a real watershed. And a new start for a new re-shaped Europe. No democratic country will be excluded from consideration. They will continue their political and military reforms. And they will continue to improve relations with their neighbours.