NATO caught between expansion, Russia's ire

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BRUSSELS — Divisions surfaced in NATO yesterday over the future membership of Ukraine and Georgia, with some nations reluctant to anger Russia by admitting the two former Soviet republics.

Some allies want to offer Ukraine and Georgia a "Membership Action Plan," the formal path to preparing for membership. But several European ministers expressed concerns about angering Russia.

"I will not hide that I'm skeptical, but we'll discuss that calmly today," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said before yesterday's meeting of foreign ministers from 26 NATO nations.

Jean Asselborn of Luxembourg also expressed reservations about proposals for Georgia and Ukraine to join the Western alliance.

"In Russia, we have a new president, and I think the European Union wants to put its ties with Russia on another footing," Mr. Asselborn said. "We have to take the interests of others, not only the members of NATO, into account."

Poland, which joined NATO in 1999 with the Czech Republic and Hungary, backed Georgia and Ukraine.

"Nobody questions their right for membership," Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said about Ukraine and Georgia. "There are doubts about the level of preparedness."

NATO enlargement ranks high in issues that anger Moscow, which range from opposition to U.S.-backed missile defenses and squabbles over Russian supplies of oil and gas to Europe.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer insisted that only NATO members have a say in alliance decisions and that no other country has a veto — a reference to Russia.

Mr. Scheffer also said after the ministers meeting that there is "no enlargement fatigue" in the alliance and its doors remain open.

"By the time of the [Bucharest] summit, we hope we'll be able to say that the NATO family is growing again," he told reporters at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels.

He was referring to a summit next month in Romania, where Albania, Croatia and Macedonia hope to join the alliance.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who participated in yesterday's meeting, said the "general view" among the ministers was that Albania, Croatia and Macedonia "have made a lot of progress" toward membership.

"People were generally upbeat about it," she said.

Almost all allies backed invitations to Croatia, Albania and Macedonia, but Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyanni said Athens does not support Macedonia's application because of the dispute between the two countries over Macedonia's constitutional name, Republic of Macedonia.

Greece objects because it has a province named Macedonia. For Greeks, the issue is also a matter of historical pride because Greek Macedonia was the home of Alexander the Great.