I
104TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4096
To encourage and expedite the granting of membership in the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization to Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SEPTEMBER 17, 1996
Mr. HOKE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on International Relations
A BILL
To encourage and expedite the granting of membership in
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to Romania, Slo-
vakia, and Slovenia.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘NATO Enlargement
Act of 1996’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Since 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Or-
ganization (NATO) has played an essential role in
guaranteeing the security, freedom, and prosperity
of the United States and its partners in the Alliance.
(2) The NATO Alliance is, and has been since
its inception, purely defensive in character, and it
poses no threat to any nation. The enlargement of
the NATO Alliance to include as full and equal
members emerging democracies in Central and East-
ern Europe will not threaten any nation. America’s
security, freedom, and prosperity remain linked to
the security of the countries of Europe.
(3) The sustained commitment of the member
countries of NATO to a mutual defense has made
possible the democratic transformation of Eastern
Europe. Members of the Alliance can and should
play a critical role in addressing the security chal-
lenges of the post-Cold War era and in creating the
stable environment needed for those emerging de-
mocracies in Central and Eastern Europe to success-
fully complete political and economic transformation.
(4) NATO has enlarged its membership on 3
different occasions since 1949.
(5) Congress has sought to facilitate the further
enlargement of NATO at an early date by enacting
the NATO Participation Act of 1994 (title II of
Public Law 103–447; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note) and the
NATO Participation Act Amendments of 1995 (sec-
tion 585 of Public Law 104–107).
(6) As new members of NATO assume the re-
sponsibilities of Alliance membership, the costs of
maintaining stability in Europe will be shared more
widely. Facilitation of the enlargement process will
require current members of NATO, and the United
States in particular, to demonstrate the political will
needed to build on successful ongoing programs such
as the Warsaw Initiative and the Partnership for
Peace by making available the resources necessary to
supplement efforts prospective new members are
themselves undertaking.
(7) The United States continues to regard the
political independence and territorial integrity of all
emerging democracies in Central and Eastern Eu-
rope as vital to European peace and security.
(8) Full NATO membership is granted to coun-
tries in Central and Eastern Europe that meet gen-
eral qualifications and that have established a free
market economy and a western-style democracy.
(9) As Congress seeks to facilitate the further
enlargement of NATO, the following new democ-
racies are requesting membership in the NATO Alli-
ance: Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Roma-
nia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
(10) Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Ro-
mania, Slovakia, and Slovenia are all successful par-
ticipants in the Partnership for Peace program.
(11) Under section 203 of the NATO Participa-
tion Act of 1994, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia,
along with Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hun-
gary, qualify to receive assistance in making the
transition to full NATO membership.
(12) In some particular instances, due to spe-
cific conditions, certain NATO members, such as
Spain and France, have chosen and have been
granted a special status of political membership in
NATO.
SEC. 3. DECLARATION OF POLICY REGARDING FURTHER
ENLARGEMENT OF NATO TO INCLUDE ROMA-
NIA, SLOVAKIA, AND SLOVENIA.
In order to expedite the process of NATO enlarge-
ment, grant membership in NATO to all qualifying coun-
tries, and strengthen the stability in Central and Eastern
Europe, the Congress declares the following:
(1) The President, at the earliest possible date,
should encourage other member countries of NATO
to start negotiations for the accession to NATO,
along with Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hun-
gary, of Slovakia, Romania, and Slovenia.
(2) The pace of the negotiations for accession
to NATO by each country described in paragraph
(1) should depend on a periodic evaluation of the
performance of each such country and, as a result,
the date of accession to NATO for each such coun-
try may vary.
(3) The special status of ‘‘political member-
ship’’ in NATO, similar to that enjoyed by Spain
and France, should be provided for any new member
country of NATO if considered to be appropriate by
the other member countries of NATO.
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