ESTONIA URGES CONSISTENCY IN NATO’S ADMISSION CRITERIA.

Starting an official visit to Germany, Estonian foreign minister Toomas Ilves urged that NATO’s planned enlargement not lead to a situation in which "some countries are safe while others are up for grabs." NATO’s upcoming Madrid summit must not damage the security of countries that are not admitted in the first round of the enlargement, Ilves pointed out, "lest the Madrid [agreements] add to the series that began with the Munich and continued with the Yalta [agreements]." (DPA, February 17)

President Lennart Meri, returning from an official visit to France, stated that he had argued against the current approach to NATO’s enlargement, "which now means admitting countries that don’t face any threat and are therefore easy to accept" ahead of countries in real need of security guarantees. This inconsistent approach could produce new dividing lines and gray zones in Europe, Meri cautioned. (BNS, February 17)

Belarusan Pro-Independence Movement Gains Momentum.