NATO leaders directed the Alliance to pursue early implementation of enhancements to the political and practical cooperation initiated under the Dialogue.

The achievements of the Washington Summit were both practical and conceptual, the fruit of several years of work. They also reflected the immediate priorities of NATO member countries, in particular the urgency of bringing to an end the conflict in Kosovo, restoring the rights of the people of Kosovo, and providing the kind of military force which would be essential to preserve the peace and rebuild the structures of a multiethnic society once the conflict was over. Despite the difficulties facing it, the NATO-led Kosovo force, which began its work on 12 June 1999, continues to work towards this end. The Washington Summit decisions, and those which the Alliance has taken subsequently in relation to Kosovo and to other issues, demonstrate that NATO is an Alliance able to adapt to changing times and ready to take on the challenges of the next century.


NATO - AN OVERVIEW


The North Atlantic Treaty, signed in Washington on 4 April 1949, created an alliance of ten European and two North American independent nations committed to each other’s defence. Four more European nations joined the Alliance between 1952 and 1982, bringing the number of members to 16. The admission of Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland on March 12, 1999 brought the number of members to 19.

NATO’S members are Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States.

The North Atlantic Treaty, itself a very simple document, conforms to the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations and has its juridical basis in the Charter.

In Article 3 of the Treaty, member countries commit themselves, separately and jointly, to maintaining and developing their individual and collective defence capabilities. Article 4 of the Treaty provides a framework for consultations between the member countries, whenever one of them feels that its security is at risk. It is this article which underlines the fundamental importance of the wide-ranging consultation process which takes place within the Alliance.

Another article - Article 5 - refers to the right to collective self-defence as laid down by the UN Charter.