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U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman Press Statement

Press Statement by James B. Foley, Deputy Spokesman
February 16, 1999

Accession of the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland to NATO

Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright has invited the foreign ministers of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland to a ceremony on March 12 at the Truman Presidential Library in Independence, Missouri, to mark the accession of these three countries into NATO.

This ceremony will be the culmination of the process to admit the three countries, which were invited to join the Alliance at the Madrid NATO Summit in July 1997. The U.S. Senate voted to admit the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland on April 30, 1998. NATO Secretary General Solana issued letters of invitation to the three countries in January after all the Allies had ratified their accession.

The U.S. Government is the legal depositary for the Washington Treaty which established the North Atlantic Alliance in 1949. The Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland will become full members of NATO when they provide their instruments of accession to the Secretary at the ceremony on March 12.

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