The vote was a crucial foreign policy victory for President Clinton, who has made NATO expansion a top priority of his second term. The final tally was 13 votes more than the two-thirds majority needed for treaty modifications. The measure does not go to the House. While neither NATO nor the Clinton administration has designated any additional members beyond the three, nearly a dozen other nations have applied for membership. NATO troops in training NATO was created after World War II to contain communism.
Proponents call it a natural extension of the Cold War.
The Senate worked into the night Thursday on the measure. The White House was optimistic, but aides said Clinton was making last-minute calls anyway to a handful of senators still undecided. Supporters pleased Warner amendment was rejected Supporters were heartened after the 59-41 vote, which they viewed as the most serious of all weakening amendments. None of the three proposed new NATO members are. Clinton and congressional supporters called the proposed expansion the natural next step after the end of the Cold War.