Growing NATO rattles Moscow

PARIS, MARCH 13: Former Warsaw Pact countries Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic have formally become part of the North Atlantic Trea...

PARIS, MARCH 13: Former Warsaw Pact countries Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic have formally become part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation NATO, their rival a decade ago, marking a new beginning in the European security alliance, despite stiff opposition from Russia.

8220;Today a new chapter opens in the history of the Atlantic alliance of Europe,8221; NATO said in a welcoming statement, issued from its headquarters in Brussels. The membership applications of the three countries were formally ratified at a special ceremony in Missouri in the United States, last night.

The statement also said the 8220;arrival of three members is just a beginning8221; and 8220;the alliance will continue to welcome new members,8221; receiving a stern response from Russia which sees the eastward expansion of NATO as a threat to its security interests.

Till a few years ago, the three countries were part of the Warsaw Pact, a military-alliance initiated by the former Soviet Union and bitterly opposed to NATO. After the end ofthe Cold War, the Warsaw Pact vanished, paving the way for NATO8217;s eastward expansion.

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov earlier warned that NATO8217;s expansion was a movement in wrong direction and 8220;if the NATO infrastructure comes any closer to the borders of the Russian federation, this will undoubtedly lead to a change in the situation in Europe8221;.

Moscow argues that since NATO was formed to meet a perceived threat8217; from the Soviet Union, the alliance should have dissolved after the break-up of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact.

Russia8217;s opposition is not without reason as it feels that NATO8217;s role in the Balkans in the past and its authority to launch air strikes against Yugoslavia, even without the approval of the United Nations Security Council, can open a Pandora8217;s Box with the alliance8217;s arms reaching outside Europe.

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While former Communist countries like Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria are willing to join NATO in the second wave of expansion, the three Baltic states 8212; Lithuania, Latvia andEstonia 8212; which were under Soviet occupation for more than four decades, feel a NATO membership card will give them a secure place in Europe.

Meanwhile, observers say to be part of NATO military alliance, the newly-inducted NATO countries will also have to get rid of much of their Soviet equipment and adapt to Western armoury, communication gadgets and modernisation of air defence systems in the coming years.

While Poland plans to raise its military budget to US 3.3 billion this year, the Czech Republic and Hungary plan to spend US 1.2 billion and US 745 million respectively moves awaited keenly by the Western arms industry which has been stagnant for a while.

8220;This is the most important moment in our history. We are entering NATO, we are returning to the place which is our proper home,8221; a jubilant Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski said.

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Terming it as a historic event, Czech President Vaclav Havel said, 8220;We will have a solid security anchoring for the first time in our history, and ananchoring in the democratic world, in the world of protection of democratic values.8221;

The alliance, including the US, Canada, Britain, Germany and France, decided to include the three eastern European nations in 1995 as part of the first wave of NATO expansion.

The Czech, Polish and Hungarian prime ministers will visit the NATO headquarters next week to attend a special ceremony making them full and equal allies of the security alliance.