(5) Western interests must be protected on a
cooperative basis without an undue burden falling
upon the United States.
(6) NATO is the only multilateral organization
that is capable of conducting effective military oper-
ations to protect Western interests.
(7) The valuable experience gained from ongo-
ing military cooperation within NATO was critical to
the success of joint military operations in the 1991
liberation of Kuwait.
(8) NATO is an important diplomatic forum for
discussion of issues of concern to its member states
and for the peaceful resolution of disputes.
(9) Admission of Central and East European
countries that have recently been freed from Com-
munist domination to NATO could contribute to
international peace and enhance the security of
those countries.
(10) By joining the Partnership for Peace, a
number of countries have expressed interest in
NATO membership.
(11) The Partnership for Peace program is cre-
ating new political and military ties with countries
in Central and Eastern Europe and provides the
basis for joint action to deal with common security
problems. Active participation in the Partnership for
Peace will also play an important role in the evolu-
tionary process of NATO expansion.
(12) In particular, Poland, Hungary, the Czech
Republic, and Slovakia have made significant
progress toward establishing democratic institutions,
free market economies, civilian control of their
armed forces, police, and intelligence services, and
the rule of law since the fall of their previous Com-
munist governments.
SEC. 603. UNITED STATES POLICY.
It should be the policy of the United States—
(1) to continue the Nation’s commitment to an
active leadership role in NATO;
(2) to join with the Nation’s NATO allies to re-
define the role of the alliance in the post-Cold War
world, taking into account—
(A) the fundamentally changed security en-
vironment of Central and Eastern Europe;
(B) the need to assure all countries of the
defensive nature of the alliance and the desire
of its members to work cooperatively with all
former adversaries;
(C) the emerging security threats posed by
the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and bio-
logical weapons of mass destruction and the
means to deliver them;
(D) the continuing challenges to the inter-
ests of all NATO member countries posed by
unstable and undemocratic regimes harboring
hostile intentions; and
(E) the dependence of the global economy
on a stable energy supply and the free flow of
commerce;
(3) to affirm that NATO military planning
should include joint military operations beyond the
geographic bounds of the alliance under Article 4 of
the North Atlantic Treaty when the shared interests
of the United States and other member countries re-
quire such action to defend vital interests;
(4) to expeditiously pursue joint cooperation
agreements for the acquisition of essential systems
to significantly increase the crisis management capa-
bility of NATO;
(5) that Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic,
and Slovakia should be in a position to further the
principles of the North Atlantic Treaty and to con-
tribute to the security of the North Atlantic area in
the near future, and, in accordance with Article 10