IFOR has given a strong projection of the underlying cohesion of NATO, and shown the world how effective we can be in a cooperative effort with former adversaries. All European institutions are working in concert to achieve our goals in Bosnia, pledging the best we all have to offer to find lasting solutions. The work undertaken on military confidence-building measures and the CFE Treaty over the last few years has also underscored our conviction that a mutual web of relationships is critical to achieving real security. Conceived in the depths of the Cold War, negotiated during a time of revolutionary change, these new security agreements have ultimately altered our entire way of thinking and acting militarily. Whereas military affairs throughout Europe were once conducted in secrecy and suspicion, transparency is now the rule.
Nations consult about virtually every aspect of defense, from troop movements to arms shipments.
Their weapons and military budgets are subject to intrusive inspection by neighbors and former foes. Military security is now envisioned as more dependent on openness and cooperation than on surprise or the stockpiling of arms. In the coming months we will be working to use our ongoing consultative opportunities through the CFE Treaty to talk about all aspects of our military relationships and how best to keep them effective in altered circumstances. We will be able to make a focused examination of military situations across the continent and retain the momentum that has seen the greatest number of conventional weapons destroyed in history. This again is the welcome product of our new integrated approach to ensuring that each nation's interests are protected in order to protect the interests of all.