14 September 2001

NATO Parliamentary Assembly Expresses Condolences, Solidarity

Parliamentary leaders from all 19 NATO countries endorsed a statement September 14 supporting the declaration made on September 12 by the North Atlantic Council that the terrorist attacks on the United States constitute attacks on the entire alliance.

The parliamentary leaders went on to say that they will "fully support member governments in providing the United States any and all the diplomatic, political, and, if required, military means at their disposal in order to deal with the perpetrators of this outrage."

The parliamentarians also extended their condolences to the American people.

Following are the texts of a NATO press release on the declaration and the declaration itself:

NATO Press Release
Brussels
14 September 2001
Members Of Parliament From NATO Countries
Declare Solidarity With United States,
Support For Article 5 Collective-defence Declaration

Brussels -- Parliamentary leaders from all 19 NATO countries today endorsed the action of the North Atlantic Council to declare that this week's attack on the United States constitutes an attack on the entire Alliance. They pledged to support NATO governments "in providing the United States any and all the diplomatic, political, and, if required, military means at their disposal in order to deal with the perpetrators of this outrage."

In addition, the legislators extended their condolences to the American people and called the terrorist atrocities "an attack on the principles and values shared by the NATO nations and indeed the entire community of democratic nations."

The statement by Rafael Estrella, the Spanish MP [Member of Parliament] who is the President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, was endorsed by the leaders of the 19 member delegations to the Assembly. As the inter-parliamentary forum for the North Atlantic Alliance, the 214-member NATO Parliamentary Assembly reflects parliamentary opinion across the political spectrum.

In the statement, the parliamentary leaders supported the declaration by NATO's governing council that if it is determined that the attack came from abroad, it shall be regarded as an action covered under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, which pledges all Alliance members to collective defence.

The next meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly is scheduled for Oct. 5-9 in Ottawa, Ontario. At the plenary session on Tuesday, Oct. 9, Members will consider a declaration stating the Assembly's position in regard to this week's attacks and whatever action the United States and the Alliance may take in response. The declaration will be significant because many NATO countries require their parliaments to authorize military actions abroad or to issue a formal declaration of war.

The signatories of today's statement by the leaders of national delegations to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly are as follows:

Leaders Of National Delegations To The NATO Parliamentary Assembly

President: Rafael Estrella

Belgium: Yvon Harmegnies, Vice Chairman, Committee on External Relations, House of Representatives

Canada: Carolyn Parrish, Member, Natural Resources and Government Operations Committee, House of Commons

Czech Republic: Jiri Payne, Vice Chairman, Foreign Affairs Committee, Chamber of Deputies

Denmark: Ingrid Rasmussen, Vice Chairman, Defence Committee, Parliament

France: Paulette Brisepierre, Member, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and the Armed Forces, Senate

Germany: Markus Meckel, Member, Foreign Affairs Committee, Bundestag

Greece: Karolos Papoulias, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, Chamber of Deputies

Hungary: Mihaly Balla, Member, Foreign Affairs Committee, National Assembly

Iceland: Tomas Ingi Olrich, Chairman, Foreign Affairs Committee, Parliament

Italy: Giorgio Rebuffa, Member, Constitutional Reforms Committee, Chamber of Deputies

Luxembourg: Niki Bettendorf, Chairman, Committee on Health and Social Security, Chamber of Deputies

Netherlands: Wim van Eekelen, former Minister of Defence, Senate

Norway: Jan Petersen, Vice Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Parliament

Poland: Czeslaw Bielecki, Chairman, Foreign Affairs Committee, Sejm

Portugal: Eduardo Pereira, Chairman, Defence Committee, Assembly of the Republic

Spain: Jose Maria Robles, Member, Defence Committee, Congress of Deputies

Turkey: Tahir Kose, Member, Justice Committee, Grand National Assembly

United Kingdom: Donald Anderson, Chairman, Foreign Affairs Committee, House of Commons

United States: Douglas Bereute

(end press release)

(begin declaration)

North Atlantic Assembly
Brussels
14 September 2001
Declaration: The Terrorist Atrocities Committed In The United States

On behalf of the leaders of all 19-member delegations to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, I wish to express the Assembly's heartfelt condolences to the American people.

We believe that the terrorist atrocities committed against the United States on Tuesday 11 September were also an attack on the principles and values shared by the NATO nations and indeed the entire community of democratic nations.

We wholeheartedly support the declaration made on 12 September by the North Atlantic Council, and we will fully support member governments in providing the United States any and all the diplomatic, political, and, if required, military means at their disposal in order to deal with the perpetrators of this outrage.

As the representatives of parliamentary democracy within the Alliance, we declare our solidarity with our friends and colleagues in the United States.