No MAP Expected for Georgia at Bucharest

Following late-night discussions among NATO leaders in Bucharest on April 2, it seems increasingly unlikely that Georgia or Ukraine will get Membership Action Plans at the summit.

NATO spokesman James Appathurai said at a press conference after an informal meeting of NATO leaders late on April 2 that discussions had focused mainly on the timing of when to give MAP to Georgia and Ukraine. He said the discussions were set to continue until April 3.

“The general sense was that Membership Action Plan for Georgia and Ukraine is a matter of not whether, but when. That was a shared sense around the table,” he said.

Appathurai, however, also said: “I will be very happy to be proven wrong, but for the moment I do not expect Membership Action Plan for Georgia and Ukraine here at Bucharest.”

He said that there was a consensus among the allies that NATO’s door was open for Georgia and Ukraine. Appathurai also reiterated that there was a clear recognition that “no outside party has a veto, or influence on NATO decisions.”

“There was a very, very strong sentiment around the table that any decisions on enlargement, on Membership Action Plan, would be taken exclusively by the countries aspiring for membership and by the present 26 member states.”

“Discussions will now continue on that basis. I can assure you, based on what I have seen today, that the alliance will leave Bucharest completely unified on the way forward in dealing with the membership aspirations of Georgia and Ukraine,” he added.

Before the informal meeting, U.S. President George W. Bush met with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and again reiterated his strong support towards giving MAP to Georgia and Ukraine.

“Ukraine and Georgia is a very difficult issue for some nations here. It’s not for me. I think that these nations are qualified nations to apply for Membership Application,” he said, referring to some western European states’ opposition to giving MAP to the two countries.

Speaking upon her arrival in Bucharest on April 2, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: “We think that the time for a MAP has not yet come” for Georgia and Ukraine.

“I think that these nations are qualified nations to apply for Membership Application,” Bush said. “And I said so on Ukrainian soil; I also said so in the Oval Office with the president of Georgia. And I haven’t changed my mind, because it’s — one of the great things about NATO is it encourages the kind of habits that are necessary for peace to exist.”