Ratification of the Accession Protocols
On 24 March 2003, following the positive result of the referendum
on the membership of the Republic of Slovenia in NATO, the Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Dr Dimitrij Rupel, forwarded to the Secretary General
of NATO, Lord George Robertson, a letter stating the intention of the
Republic of Slovenia to accede to the North Atlantic Treaty and
confirming Slovenia's readiness and ability to respect political and
military obligations and commitments under the North Atlantic Treaty,
the Study on NATO's Enlargement, and the Strategic Concept of the
Alliance.
The letter reviews the commitments
confirmed by Slovenia's delegation during the accession talks that
took place in January and February 2002. With this letter, Slovenia
has also undertaken to respect the principles of consensus in
decision-making, to continue its support to the policy of open doors,
and to contribute its share to the NATO budget.
Enclosed to the letter was also the time-table to be followed in the
implementation of the reforms that are based primarily on the work
carried out so far within the process of the Membership
Action Plan (MAP).
On 26 March 2003, the Permanent Representatives of the nineteen
NATO member countries signed the Accession
Protocols for the seven countries invited to join NATO. This step
will now be followed by ratification
procedures in the parliaments of these countries. The accession
process is to be concluded by May 2004.
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