Meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council

Meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in Brussels, December 8, 1998
Statements by Foreign Minister, Halldór Ásgrímsson


- I want to align myself with the views of colleagues who have emphasized the importance of the work of the EAPC.

- This Council has established itself as an important forum within the Alliance for an exchange of views and as a platform for defining and overseeing the implementation of cooperation of Partners with NATO military and political structures.

- This is true not only of the peace support operations which SFOR is conducting in Bosnia-Herzegovina with the participation of so many of the nations represented at this table, but also of increased participation of many Partners in operational planning within NATO military staff.

- Looking ahead, I wish to reaffirm Iceland's support for intensified cooperation in PfP-training and exercises, particularly the establishment of PfP-training centres in partner countries. I would like to recall, in this connection, that Iceland will be hosting in co-operation with the United States a PfP-disaster relief exercise in Iceland year 2000 called Cooperative Safeguard. I hope you will help us to make this exercise as successful as the previous one.

- Also in this context, I applaud the creation of the new Euro-Atlantic Disaster Relief Coordination Centre last June. This Center has made a valuable contribution to refugees in Kosovo and Albania in close cooperation with UN disaster relief agencies. Iceland stands ready to support the work of this new organization in its important assignment.