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http://www.irna.com/en/world/020429191715.ewo.shtml Nato chief urges closer cooperation with Mediterranean countries London, April 29, IRNA (Iran) -- Nato Secretary General Lord Robertson said Monday that the lingering differences among the members of the transatlantic alliance over the purpose of its dialogue with North African countries should not be allowed to persist. "After September 11, Nato and its Mediterranean neighbours can no longer afford to neglect each other," Robertson told diplomats, military personnel and academics at an international conference at the Royal United Services Institute in London. He said that efforts to move closer together must be redoubled "to become real partners in facing common challenges, such as terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction." "I personally believe very strongly that the time has come to move Nato's Mediterranean Dialogue from the sidelines to the centre stage," the secretary general said. Nato initiated its security dialogue with countries on its southern flank in 1994 following the ending of the Cold War. Regular meetings currently include Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and Israel. Robertson, a former British Defence Secretary, said that there were several reasons why the dialogue had not met its full potential,including differences between Nato members over how best it should be developed. But he argued that the region was important for the transatlantic organisation because of its potential for instability, the phenomenon of terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, energy security and because it also encompassed the Middle East. The secretary general personally suggested that there were three areas in which the dialogue might evolve, in more military cooperation, in a variable format to allow individual relations with Mediterranean countries and in enhanced political and practical ways. But he admitted in the opening session of the two-day conference, on Nato and Mediterranean Security, that bringing the dialogue closer to the organisation's mainstream cooperative approaches was "very likely to be an incremental process." The transatlantic alliance is hoping to clarify its policy agenda with its southern neighbours at its summit in Prague in November, when it is due to set out its future course. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - your guide to health and wellness http://health.yahoo.com --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
