Politics

Bush Defends Missile Defense

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

June 13, 2001 / 7:37 AM EDT / CBS

In his NATO debut Wednesday, President Bush reported progress in overcoming European doubts about his missile defense plan. "People know I'm intent on doing what I think is the right thing," he declared.

Emerging from nearly four hours of closed-door meetings with the leaders of NATO countries, Mr. Bush also said the 19-nation alliance was committed to expanding its membership at a summit next year.

Of the nine countries seeking membership, he said, "All aspiring members have work to do." But, he added, if they stay the course, the next round of NATO enlargement can begin at the November 2002 summit in Prague, Czech Republic.

Mr. Bush spoke beside NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson at a joint news conference.

A look at NATO

PURPOSE:
The North Atlantic Treaty, signed in Washington in April 1949, created an alliance for the collective defense of its members. The treaty states that an armed attack against one or more of the members shall be considered an attack against all.
STRUCTURE:
The principal decision-making body is the North Atlantic Council, which consists of permanent representatives of all 19 member countries. The Council also meets at the level of foreign ministers, defense ministers or heads of government. Decisions are made by consensus.
The Military Committee, NATO's highest military authority, has representatives from each member and provides military advice to the Council and to NATO's two strategic commands the Supreme Allied Commander Europe near Mons, Belgium, and the Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic in Norfolk, Va.
MEMBERSHIP:
The original 12 members of NATO are Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the United States. Greece and Turkey joined in 1952, Germany in 1955, Spain in 1982 and the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland in 1999.
EXPANSION:
Nine countries are official candidates for NATO membership: Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Macedonia. The alliance is expected to announce new members in the autumn of 2002. (AP)

Robertson said President Bush didn't present a specific missile defense plan or ask for the allies' support.

"What the president asked for and what the president got was an open mind from the other allie countries," Robertson said.

Mr. Bush chafed at one journalist's question about critics who say he is jumping to deploy a missile shield before scientists are sure it can work.

Those critics "are dead wrong," Mr. Bush said, his voice rising. "Of course we're not going to deploy a system that doesn't work. What good will that do?"

He acknowledged "some nervousness" among European allies about his pledge to abrogate the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty and build a defensive system.

"I understand that but it's beginning to be allayed when they hear the logic behind the rationale," Mr. Bush said. "I'm making good progress on this issue here in Europe."

Outside NATO headquarters, where the leaders met, hundreds of protesters toted signs decrying the missile defense plan. One protester flew above NATO headquarters in a motorized hang-glider with a sign reading "Stop Star Wars."

The president's bold pitch on missile defense paid off with some allies, reports CBS News Chief White House Correspondent John Roberts. NATO's newest members, all former Eastern bloc countries, signaled interest in the plan, as did England, Italy and Spain. But others remain openly skeptical whether the emerging threat is as serious as the White House contends.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder told the NATO summit there are important questions about the technical feasibility of missile defense. Plus, he said, "Russia and China need to be involved."

French President Jacques Chirac said the ABM treaty, which outlaws national missile defense, is "a pillar" of global security. He called for stepping up efforts to stop the spread of ballistic missiles "irrespective of action taken regarding the anti-missile project."

As he pressed ahead with one campaign promise, Mr. Bush backtracked on another – his vow to pull American troops out of Bosnia and Kosovo, and leave sole responsibility for peacekeeping to the Europeans. Now Mr. Bush says U.S. soldiers will stay put.

Embracing a statement by Secretary of State Colin Powell, Mr. Bush said, "We came in together and we will leave together. It is the pledge of our government and it is a pledge that I will keep."

The White House didn't want a summit communique to overshadow the president's first NATO visit. In its place, Robertson of Britain held a separate news conference to make announcements — among them that the entire alliance now supports adding at least one new member next year.

He didn't say which countries might be invited to join, but it was the first time Robertson made it clear publicly that putting off expansion was no longer an option.

Russia is strongly opposed to NATO expanding closer to its own borders. Just two years ago, NATO took in Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

Among the next candidates are the Baltic nations of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, which had been part of the former Soviet Union, as well as former Warsaw Pact members Romania and Bulgaria

Mr. Bush leaves Belgium Thursday for Goteborg, Sweden, and the European Union summit. On Friday, he heads to Warsaw where he will meet Polish leaders and deliver a major address on the future of U.S.-European ties. He concludes his European trip Saturday in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where he meets Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time.