At the NATO Summit in Madrid, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic were officially invited to join NATO. At the same time the participants in the Summit have confirmed that they intend to continue the process of expansion of this military block to other countries of the European continent. This decision indicates that the USA which virtually control NATO as well as their closest allies have adopted a policy of the use of force or the threat thereof as the main factor of the international relations.

NATO is moving towards the change of its mission from ensuring the security of its members to various forms of coercion and armed intervention into the affairs of the states and regions outside of the zone of NATO responsibility, towards the revival of "Drang nach Osten" policy which provoked wars on many occasions. Under the disguise of collective peace-keeping war is reintroduced as an instrument of policy.

By creating new dividing trenches and barriers in Europe, by setting some European states against the others NATO - whether it will admit it or not - is reviving the policy of division of spheres of interests and of influence, of dictate and expansion which characterised the periods of preparations of World War I and II.

The undeniable fact is and will remain that NATO has neither convincing explanations nor objective reasons for the decisions adopted in Madrid except for one - the intention to divide the world on the basis of the new balance of forces.

The existence of NATO as a defence alliance has lost its meaning with disbandment of the Warsaw Treaty. But NATO is responding to the changes in the world and to the end of the "cold war" by transformation into an offensive block which clearly reveals NATO founding fathers? original intentions which remain intact.

The expansion of NATO will lead to the dramatic increase in military spending of members of the Alliance and in particular of its new members, to the redirection of tens of billions of dollars from economic to military programmes, to militarisation of Central and Eastern Europe. It will make far more difficult reaching agreements on nuclear and other weapons reduction. We, members of parliaments of Byelorussia, Latvia, Russia and the Ukraine believe it necessary to warn that the expansion of NATO will jeopardise security and sovereignty of Europe and other regions of the world. Each new step in the Alliance's movement to the East will again and again put to test its relations with our countries, will poison the atmosphere in Europe and the world as a whole.

The signing by the leaders of Russia and the Ukraine of agreements with NATO changed nothing in our principled negative attitude to the plans of NATO expansion. We were and will remain opponents of these plans and will use all resources in our disposal to hinder and to stop the expansion of the Alliance, to make the benefits of pulling in new members incomparable with those political, strategic, material and moral losses which the initiators, organisers and participants of this short-sighted, dangerous adventure alien to the spirit of times will have to sustain.

The expansion of NATO will be a victory of NATO?s bureaucracy, of a small group of hawks in Western political establishment and of the American arms manufacturers over common sense, over objective demands of stability, security, democracy and prosperity in Europe.

We are calling on the parliaments and peoples of NATO member countries not to allow the ratification of NATO expansion and not to allocate money for this purpose. Europe is being dragged to the road leading to a new catastrophe. It is in our common interests to prevent this deadly mistake.

We are calling on those who do not want the return to the confrontational past, who believe in the new Europe of peace, partnership and mutual respect to support our actions.

The struggle against NATO expansion is just starting. The contribution of everybody notwithstanding political, party or religious adhesion will matter. The issue in point is the vital national interests of our countries. We declare the intention to create permanent Co-ordinating Committee to organise joint actions of public forces and state structures.

Members of parliaments of Byelorussia, Russia and the Ukraine are convinced that the main tool of combating NATO expansion will be the unity of our peoples, of other peoples of the CIS. The first step in this direction has been made by the creation of the Union of Byelorussia and Russia. We are calling on presidents and governments of Byelorussia, Russia and the Ukraine to start immediate consultations in order to prepare an effective programme of joint actions to combat the new "Drang nach Osten". We are declaring our determination to do everything to speed up the integration process, to make it broader and deeper, to break the artificial obstacles and hindrances which are created by the external and internal forces.

We are moved by our unbending will to live in peace and agreement with all peoples of Europe, by confidence in correctness of our commitment.

Signed:

On behalf of the non-fraction group "Anti-NATO"
of the House of Representatives
of the National Assembly of the Republic of Byelorussia,
Leonid Rachkov,
Chairman of the Commission on International Affairs and
Links with the CIS Countries

On behalf of the deputies' group "Latvia - Outside of NATO,
Latvia - a Neutral Country" of the Saeim of the Latvian Republic
Oleg Dennisov,
member of Saeim of the Latvian Republic

On behalf of the deputies' group "Anti-NATO"
of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly
of the Russian Federation
Sergei Baburin,
Deputy Chairman of the State Duma

On behalf of the deputies' group
"The Ukraine - Outside of NATO"
of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukraine
Alexander Tkachenko,
First Deputy Chairman
of the Supreme Soviet of Ukraine

July, 9, 1997

Contact Information:
Sergei Melnikov
melnikov_sa@duma.gov.ru