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Speech by Dr. Javier Solana, NATO Secretary General, at The Instituto De Defesa Nacional, Portugal
March 12, 1999
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure to be here at the National Defence Institute of Portugal. The institute is well--known for its advanced studies of defence issues, and this conference on Portugal and Peace Operations in Bosnia" will, I am sure, add to that very deserved reputation.
Over the last two days, you have heard of Portugal's contribution to peace operations in Bosnia. It is, indeed, a noteworthy contribution. Portugal is playing an essential role in keeping the peace in that troubled country.
Your armed forces have done so since the first UN missions began in the former Yugoslavia. From then until now - from the time of Operation Sharp Guard to today's Stabilisation Force in Bosnia - your forces have carried out their mission effectively, diligently, professionally. I would also like to thank your country for making available the Political Advisor to COMSFOR since 1998, Mr Sampaio, who is doing an excellent job.
The National Defence Institute has chosen a fitting time to look at the lessons of Bosnia. For the mission of peacekeeping and crisis management has become an important part of the adaptation of the Alliance to today's security needs. This new mission will be accorded a prominent place in the Alliance's revised Strategic Concept, which we will unveil at the April Summit in Washington. Hence, the lessons learned in Bosnia become ever more pertinent - both in the Alliance's current agenda and in the way we think and prepare in future for peacekeeping and crisis management.
What are these lessons? Let me suggest seven that in my view are most important, and then outline how they have influenced NATO's own adaptation and evolution.
The first lesson of Bosnia is perhaps the most difficult to learn - that, in today's Europe, even local conflicts can be an international problem. In fact, with the end of the Cold War, regional conflicts now pose the greatest challenge to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area. They do not affect only the warring parties themselves. They also threaten stability far beyond their point of origin. They threaten to draw in other countries. They cause large, potentially destabilising, floods of people. And they result in violations of human rights from which we cannot, nor should not, avert our eyes.
This does not mean that we have to get involved in each and every regional conflict. Nor does it suggest that defence of our own national territories is no longer relevant. But there will be cases where indifference towards a regional conflict can become more costly, over the long term, than engagement. Bosnia was such a case.
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