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Former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright, has spoken at an international conference in Prague on the future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Addressing attendees on Friday, Mrs Albright called on allies within NATO to join forces in the face of the global economic downturn; she also read an address by former US President Bill Clinton. The Prague conference, marking ten years since NATO first expanded to include former communist countries including the Czech Republic, also saw speeches by leading representatives such as NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. He said that the expansion of the alliance to ten former communist states between 1999 and 2004 had enhanced European security and put a definitive end to the Cold War. He also said NATO would remain open to new members, taking two more states – Albania and Croatia - on board before the end of the year.

In related news, Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanová said at the close of the two-day NATO conference on Friday that the EU and NATO should cooperate more closely over the use of military helicopters. Given the current recession, she said, individual countries could not afford to build up dual military and defence capacities for both organisations. At the same conference, EU foreign and defence policy chief Javier Solana said that the availability of helicopters was perhaps the most important factor in improving the EU’s rapid response capability.

For the Czech Republic and other central and eastern European countries, joining NATO ten years ago was a milestone on their journey from Soviet-style dictatorship to freedom and democracy. Joining the alliance meant becoming part of a respected, stable and democratic security structure; it confirmed that these countries, trapped in the communist block for four decades, had returned to the free world. With the fall of communism and the changing face of Europe the alliance has also had to redefine its role in response to new threats and

During a meeting with NATO representatives in Prague President Václav Klaus said the alliance was one of the pillars of the free world and must remain the basis of European defence architecture. Mr. Klaus said that NATO had given the Old Continent 64 years of peace, had contributed to the end of the Cold War and had a new role to play in the 21st century.

A two-day international conference is underway in Prague to mark the 10th anniversary of the country’s entry into NATO. The event is being staged in the Czech upper house, the Senate, with guests including the alliance’s current Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. The Czech Republic entered NATO on March 12, 1999, along with two other former Warsaw Pact members, Poland and Hungary. A poll by the STEM agency showed 73 percent of Czechs surveyed believe NATO entry was the right step to take. EU defence ministers are also meeting in the Czech capital on Thursday and Friday for informal talks.

In a Czech Radio interview devoted to the NATO anniversary, the former Czech president Václav Havel said he believed the alliance should end at Russia’s borders, but he argued in favour of accepting Belarus and Ukraine if they were able to meet the respective criteria. The alliance must be defined both by common values and geographically – it cannot be extended forever, Mr. Havel said.

Ten years ago this Thursday, the Czech Republic became one of three post-communist countries that joined NATO. To commemorate the anniversary, and to debate the future of the alliance, the Czech Senate is hosting a high-profile conference entitled NATO Enlargement Ten Years On: Achievements, Challenges, Prospects.

An opinion survey conducted in connection with the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Czech Republic’s entry to NATO indicates that 76 percent of Czechs approve of the country’s membership in the alliance. The majority of Czechs see NATO membership as the best possible security guarantee the country can have. Those against are mainly older people and Communist Party supporters.

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will both attend a two-day conference in Prague to mark the Czech Republic’s accession to NATO, it was announced on Sunday. The conference will be held between March 12-13 in the Czech Senate. It will also be attended by Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg. The Czech Republic joined NATO alongside Poland and Hungary on March 12, 1999, eight years after the organisation’s communist counterpart, the Warsaw Pact, was dissolved. It was the first time in history that the Czech Republic had joined a transatlantic security system. Since, the Czech military has participated in a number of NATO foreign missions, in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo.

Recent days have seen increased uncertainty on the future of US missile defence plans in Europe, including the deployment of a radar base in the Czech Republic and interceptor rockets in Poland. Just last week some reported that the US might drop its plans entirely – in return for an nuclear arms reduction deal with Russia. But following a security conference in Germany, attended by US Vice President Joe Biden, it is clear the country is not giving up on missile defence yet.