Road Map Albania

Q: Accepting that you haven't got any more details on Korisa, could I ask either you or General Jertz to give us at least a bigger picture on what's happening in terms of the air attacks on that area? We could see from the map, General Jertz, that it was very intense around Prizren, could you say what the forces were there, which units if you know them or can say them, what targets you were attacking, what preliminary indications you've had of what success or otherwise they've had, have they destroyed tanks or whatever, so a picture of the actual fight that was going on around Prizren yesterday? ... [Read More]

USIS Washington File: TRANSCRIPT: STATE DEPT. BRIEFING ON KOSOVO LANDMINE PROBLEM

AMBASSADOR STEINBERG: Short answer is no -- it depends in large part on how effective the message is. The message is now being communicated that you leave the major roads and the major cities at your own peril. I would stress to you that the emergency demining capability that we have is going to focus on the real tough nuts to crack. The truth is the individual who goes off the main roads and goes back to his or her village before the deminers get there is at risk. ...

For this reason, a leading British demining group, called Halo Trust, entered Kosovo literally when the NATO forces first entered, on June 13, and they are completing a comprehensive study to help us define our demining priorities. There should be some preliminary results from their work within a week. Fortunately, we received earlier this week, from the Serb forces, a number of maps to describe where their minefields are. NATO is now studying these. ... [Read More]

On-the-Record Briefing En Route to Damascus, Syria
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Europe and Central Asia

AlbaniaI. Summary Drug trafficking is a significant problem in Albania, which is a major transit country for heroin from Afghanistan and Turkey destined for markets throughout Europe. Organized crime groups use Albania as a transit point for drug and other types of smuggling due to the country’s strategic location, weak police and judicial systems, and porous borders. The most common illegal drugs are heroin, marijuana, and to a lesser extent, cocaine. Heroin is typically transported through the "Balkans Route" of Turkey-Bulgaria-Macedonia-Albania, and on to Italy, Greece and the Netherlands. Cocaine is smuggled from South America, via the United States, Italy, Spain, Greece or the Netherlands, and ... [Read More]

Europe – Educational Advising Centers – EducationUSA
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USIS Washington File: TRANSCRIPT: NATO BRIEFING ON "OPERATION ALLIED FORCE" APRIL 15

GENERAL MARANI: The pilot said he saw the houses burning on a road north of the road that we are talking about, then when he came back he attacked the vehicles on the road south of where the houses were burning. There is more than one road and if we have the map I can show you. ...

Q: I noticed on the map that the spot where this incident occurred is now identified as being on the Dacane-to-Dakovica road and not on the Dakovica-to-Prizren road which we were told all day yesterday and which is where I believe the Serbs identified the incident which they have showed video film of. I also note that that the pilot said that he saw three dark-green two-and-a-half tonne vehicles which are obviously not tractors with trailers behind them or horses and carts. Is there some discrepancy here? Are we talking about two possible different incidents? ... [Read More]

Dr. Jeffrey Simon, "Partnership For Peace: Charting A Course For A New Era," 'The U.S. and NATO An Alliance of Purpose' - U.S. Foreign Policy Agenda - June 2004, Department of State, International Information Programs

With this in mind, NATO should establish more precise goals for keeping its Open Door program credible for the three remaining MAP members. This is likely to become an issue for Albania and Macedonia, who have been in PfP for almost a decade, have had five years of MAP and annual national plan experience, and whose patience may wear thin. If NATO is unprepared to offer membership soon, it needs to establish the prospect of it. NATO might consider some version of a "regatta" to link Balkan MAP partner accession to the completion of specific, well-defined NATO "acquis" with a notional time horizon of roughly five-to-eight years — even though the regatta concept was rejected for the 2002 Prague Summit invitees because many politicians claimed that accession is ultimately a political issue, which it is. ... [Read More]

"NATO In The 21st Century -- The Road Ahead" - U.S. Foreign Policy Agenda, March 2002, Department of State, International Information Programs

The nine aspirant nations have made considerable progress under the NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) established in 1999. They have agreed to pursue Partnership Goals related to the MAP within the PfP Planning and Review Process. The Partnership Goals integrate lessons learned from the previous round of enlargement and the tenets of the NATO Defense Capabilities Initiative (DCI), providing a roadmap toward reform. NATO has provided the aspirants with feedback on their progress through assessments of both their accomplishment of Partnership Goals and their MAP annual national plans. U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) has conducted in-country assessments of aspirants' progress at the direction of the Secretary of Defense. ... [Read More]

"NATO In The 21st Century -- The Road Ahead" - U.S. Foreign Policy Agenda, March 2002, Department of State, International Information Programs

The MAP gives substance to NATO's commitment to keep its door open. However, participation in the MAP does not guarantee future membership, nor does the Plan consist simply of a checklist for aspiring countries to fulfil. Decisions to invite aspirants to start accession talks will be taken within NATO by consensus and on a case-by-case basis. ...

Like PfP, the MAP is guided by the principle of self-differentiation: aspirant countries are free to choose the elements of the MAP best suited to their own national priorities and circumstances. All aspirants have submitted an Annual National program on preparations for possible membership, covering political and economic, defense/military, resource, security and legal issues. They set their own objectives, targets and work schedules. These programs are expected to be updated each year by aspirants countries but can be amended at any time. ... [Read More]