American Jewish Committee Hails Historic Senate Vote On Nato Expansion

American Jewish Committee
Friday, 1 May 1998

The American Jewish Committee hailed yesterday's historic and overwhelming vote in the U.S. Senate to expand NATO to include Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

The American Jewish Committee was the first Jewish organization in the United States to publicly support NATO expansion, following the Madrid Summit. In its June 26, 1997 statement, AJC stated that "an enlarged NATO will mean greater security and stability and also hasten the political and economic integration of Europe."

On November 5, 1997, AJC Executive Director David A. Harris urged the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to "grasp the significance of this moment, the chance to solidify the democratic ideal and enhance European, and Western security" through NATO expansion.

In October 1997, AJC participated in a NATO fact-finding mission to Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Those visits, said Mr. Harris, "only confirmed our judgment that an enlarged NATO is good for the stability and security of the newly freed peoples of the region, good for European security and integration, and good for the United States."

For more information, or to contact American Jewish Committee, see their website at: www.ajc.org