Dec 4, 2009, 12:28 GMT
Brussels - NATO foreign ministers on Friday decided to offer Montenegro a plan for how to join the alliance, but agreed that it was too early to offer the same privilege to Bosnia-Herzegovina, the alliance's secretary general said.
The decision is a major step on Montenegro's path towards eventual NATO membership. It is likely to be greeted with anger in Bosnia, and may also give rise to discontent in Georgia and Ukraine, which NATO leaders last year decided not to award a membership plan.
'Today Montenegro has been granted its request to join the Membership Action Plan (MAP), and a clear message has been given to Bosnia that it will join the MAP once it achieves the necessary progress in reform,' Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.
The decision, taken by NATO foreign ministers at their regular winter meeting in Brussels, means that NATO officials will now draw up an intensive reform programme with Montenegro to bring its military and political life into line with NATO standards.
'With a sustained effort at further reform, today's invitation to join the MAP will be a stepping stone to the ultimate goal, full membership in NATO,' Rasmussen stressed.
But foreign ministers decided that Bosnia was not ready for the step, following the months-long deadlock on constitutional reform between the country's ethnic groups.
'The allies are united in their view that Bosnia must and will also find its home in NATO: it's not a question of if, but when. But it is also true that Bosnia has more to do. We therefore decided that Bosnia will join the MAP once it achieves the necessary progress in its reform efforts,' Rasmussen said.
'I would like to send a strong message to the people and politicians of Bosnia: by today's decision we have shown confidence in you, now we expect you to live up to this confidence,' he said.
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