NATO SUMMIT: Leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation have invited seven countries from the former communist bloc to become members, decided to create a NATO Response Force for crisis situations, and endorsed the UN Security Council's position on Iraq.
Meanwhile comments by the Czech President, Mr Vaclav Havel, suggesting that Irish neutrality was out of date, were rejected by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr Dick Roche, who is in Prague for a meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC), held under NATO auspices.
In a joint declaration, the 19 heads of state and government who are full NATO members said they had invited Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia to begin accession talks to join the alliance.
"The accession of these new members will strengthen security for all in the Euro-Atlantic area, and help achieve our common goal of a Europe whole and free, united in peace and by common values. NATO's door will remain open to European democracies willing and able to assume the responsibilities and obligations of membership," the NATO leaders said.
A similar point had already been made by President Havel, who said: "I believe that the alliance should declare permanent accessibility to all the European democracies that have remained neutral until now, from Finland to Switzerland to Ireland.
"Many of these nations profoundly cherish the historical traditions of their neutrality, and we all respect that. Nevertheless, I believe that all these countries sooner or later will ask themselves what the purpose or the content of neutrality is in the world of today; what neutrality actually means; what it makes possible; and, what it makes impossible.
"It is certainly understandable that if there are two major power blocs it is of great importance to many countries, for many reasons, to preserve their neutrality, regardless of what they may think of either bloc.
"But what should one think about neutrality in a situation when such blocs no longer exist, and when the common enemy of all consists of organised crime, terror or the advancement of weapons of mass destruction? Can one be neutral, for example, toward assassins who perpetrate large-scale murders of civilian populations?"
Commenting after his arrival in Prague last night, Mr Roche said: "He is expressing an opinion. It is not a viewpoint that the Irish Government would share."
The Minister of State is expected to speak at today's meeting of the EAPC, which is a forum for consultation between full NATO members and other states, like Ireland, who are members of the NATO ancillary organisation, Partnership for Peace.
The NATO leaders also issued a joint statement yesterday on Iraq, pledging "full support" for the implementation of Resolution 1441, recently passed unanimously by the members of the UN Security Council, including Ireland. "NATO allies stand united in their commitment to take effective action to assist and support the efforts of the UN to ensure full and immediate compliance by Iraq, without conditions or restrictions, with UN Security Council Resolution 1441," they continued.
The cautious tone of the statement, with its strong focus on the UN, was seen as reflecting divisions among NATO members about the urgency of military action. The British government, for example, has been very supportive of President Bush, whereas the Germans and French have expressed serious misgivings.
The Summit also decided to create a NATO Response Force (NRF), described as "a technologically advanced, flexible, deployable, interoperable and sustainable force including land, sea, and air elements ready to move quickly to wherever needed".
While some would see the new NATO squad as a potential rival to the European Union's Rapid Reaction Force, the Summit Declaration said they would be "mutually reinforcing while respecting the autonomy of both organisations".
It was reported that the US government had written to at least 50 countries to seek practical help, whether military or otherwise, in a possible move against Iraq.
However, a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said no such letter had so far been received in Dublin and it had "only gone out to allies".