ALBANIA'S PARLIAMENTARY RESOLUTION ON NATO MEMBERSHIP

UNCLAS TIRANA 000086

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958:N/A
TAGS: NATO PGOV PREL AL
SUBJECT: ALBANIA'S PARLIAMENTARY RESOLUTION ON NATO MEMBERSHIP


1. On January 21, Parliament passed a resolution declaring it would
do whatever is necessary to receive an invitation to join NATO. The
resolution was introduced by the opposition Socialist Party and
passed unanimously. This is the first time in the history of
Albania's democratic Parliament that an opposition-sponsored
resolution has received unanimous support.


2. Begin text, unofficial translation of final resolution provided
by the Director General of the Parliament.

RESOLUTION ON ALBANIA'S MEMBERSHIP TO NATO

The Parliament of the Republic of Albania, aware of the great
importance that this year's NATO summit holds for our country,
expressed its full support for all necessary and indispensable
measures that must be taken for Albania to receive the historical
invitation to become a member of NATO, and guarantees its
willingness and decisiveness to meet all its obligations in this
process.

The Albanian Parliament,

- following the natural course of Albania to join Euro-Atlantic
structures, as a certain expansion of freedom and democracy, where
Albanians, who support strongly NATO membership, perceive the
democratic future of their country;

- expressing their gratitude for the great assistance that NATO and
member states have provided to Albania in all stages and programs of
the membership process and acknowledging the achievements of our
country in this course;

- aware that the long-awaited invitation for NATO membership
requires the continuous commitment and cooperation of all the
parliamentary political forces;

- aware of the difficulties of such a significant challenge and
determined to face it, when the country has still much to do on the
road to constructing a functional democracy and a political system
based on a market economy;

- expresses the conviction on the necessity to overcome political
conflicts, on behalf of the climate of trust among the parliamentary
political forces, for all the reforms and legal initiatives, which
require an overall consensus based on the Constitution of Albania;

- is committed to make use of all its capacities to assist in the
fulfillment of judicial reforms, in compliance with the standards of
the Euro-Atlantic family;

- appraises the achievements of, and expresses its full solidarity
and support for the Armed Forces of the Republic of Albania,
encouraging them to accomplish the obligations of the NATO
integration process;

- expresses its readiness to support every initiative that speeds up
the integrating steps into NATO and encourages the Government, other
state institutions and the civil society to do the same;

- confirms its commitment to peace, security, stability,
understanding and regional cooperation, which is further
consolidated at the proclamation of Kosovo's independence, as the
logical outcome of the dynamics of the regional developments and
NATO's direct commitment.

End text.

WITHERS