By Jon Ward
The Washington Times
April 3, 2008
BUCHAREST, Romania — The Bush administration yesterday backed off its insistence that two former Soviet bloc countries be invited to enter NATO’s membership process at today’s summit, after European countries refused to bow to U.S. pressure.
Romanian President Traian Basescu (left) and NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer greet German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday at a NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania.
Following a three-hour dinner with the other 25 leaders of NATO-member countries, a NATO spokesman said that Georgia and Ukraine will not be invited at this summit into the Membership Action Plan (MAP).
.
“We are convinced that it is too early to grant both states the status,” said German Chancellor Angela Merkel after arriving here for the summit.
.
The White House, which had maintained that an invitation was still possible this week, denied that pressure from Russia, which has leaned heavily on traditional U.S. allies Germany and France, has had a veto effect on Georgia and Ukraine’s aspirations.
.
And a senior Bush administration official insisted that today’s meetings will bring “a successful day.”
.
But one day after Mr. Bush stopped in Ukraine and promised to “work as hard as I can to see to it that Ukraine and Georgia are accepted into MAP,” his top advisers had to define success broadly to remain upbeat.
.
“I think it’s not a question of defeat,” said the senior official, who spoke to reporters on the condition that he not be identified. “The question will be if the alliance can come together and show that the door remains open and can show that the process of new members coming into NATO continues, that will be a success.”
Related:
NATO to endorse US missile-defense plan
Read the rest:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080403/NATION/211752533/1002
