ESTONIA SEEKS GREATER CLARITY ON NATO ENLARGEMENT.

In a statement released September 4, Estonian Defense Minister Andrus Oovel urged that NATO’s replace its currently-vague political statements on NATO enlargement with a firm commitment which includes a time table and a list of the criteria which future NATO members must meet. The process "should be handled openly, not at anyone’s expense and not through secret deals." The statement reflects Baltic states’ concerns over NATO’s indefinite timeframe for enlargement, its differentiation among candidates for membership, and the suggestions by some Western policy makers that the Baltic states be considered for membership only after most former Warsaw Pact states have joined NATO.

Lithuania, Ukraine Plan Closer Ties.