President Drnovšek meets NATO Secretary General
Ljubljana, 03/10/2003 | press release
The President of the Republic of Slovenia Dr Janez Drnovšek today received the NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson at Brdo Castle.
During their talks, Dr Drnovšek and Lord Robertson exchanged views on topical issues in international relations, particularly the Iraqi situation. Dr Drnovšek expressed his regret that in solving this issue public disagreements had emerged at the highest level between some Euro-Atlantic partners, something that was of greatest benefit to the Iraqi regime. Lord Robertson stated his belief that differences of opinion on this issue within the North-Atlantic Alliance were not controversial as such, but bore witness to the influence that even smaller countries could exert within NATO. It would nevertheless be strange if NATO members voted against each other in the UN Security Council.
During their meeting, President Drnovšek and Lord Robertson also touched upon the forthcoming referendum on Slovenia's entry into NATO. They agreed that the issue of NATO membership could not be linked to the possible resolution of the situation in the Middle East, but that the Alliance and the advantages of its membership should rather be assessed primarily on the basis of NATO's role in stabilising the situation in South-Eastern Europe. Lord Robertson also pointed to the positive effects that NATO membership could bring to the economy, with Poland providing the most illustrative example.
President Drnovšek and Lord Robertson concluded their talks by exchanging views on the current situation in the region, and prospects for its future development.