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Russia Will Not Be Allowed to Destabilize Europe, Rice Says (8/19/08) Russia will not be allowed to win in Georgia and destabilize Europe by creating spheres of influence along its borders, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said after an emergency meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, Belgium. "We're determined to deny them their strategic objective," Rice said. "We're not going to allow Russia to draw a new line at those states that are not yet integrated into the trans-Atlantic structures like Georgia and Ukraine." The North Atlantic Council, the policymaking body of the alliance, met August 19 in Brussels and agreed to create a NATO-Georgia Commission to oversee cooperation with Georgia on a wide range of political, economic, security and related issues, and to help achieve the goals set at the 2008 Bucharest NATO Summit, Rice said. more

NATO Strengthens Ties with Georgia (8/19/08) NATO will strengthen its ties to Georgia through a newly created commission designed to support reconstruction and stabilization in the aftermath of the Russian-Georgian conflict that erupted over two Georgian breakaway regions. The North Atlantic Council, meeting in emergency session August 19, said in a joint declaration that "we have determined that we cannot continue with business as usual" with Russia until its combat forces now in Georgia are withdrawn and it recognizes the territorial boundaries of Georgia. The new NATO-Georgia Commission, similar to a body established in 1997 to oversee NATO relations with Ukraine, will help Georgia assess damages from the Russian incursion and restore essential services to communities in the conflict zone. more

Additional Statements on Georgia Crisis:

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A limited anti-missile defense system to be stationed in Poland and the Czech Republic will make a substantial contribution to NATO's collective security, the White House says. "I'm pleased to announce that negotiations are complete and that we have initialed an agreement" to place an American missile defense base in Poland, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said August 14. The initial agreement was signed by chief U.S. negotiator John Rood, acting under secretary of state for arms control and international security, and Polish negotiator Andrzej Kremer, deputy foreign minister, August 14 in Warsaw. Under the European ground-based missile defense plan, the United States will base 10 missile interceptors, which have no warheads, in Poland. They are designed to knock down a limited number of ballistic missiles launched from a rogue state such as Iran. The United States will place an advanced radar tracking facility in the Czech Republic. The system is expected to be in place by 2012.

The United States July 8 signed an agreement with the Czech Republic allowing the construction and operation of the missile defense system’s radar station, an agreement that must be ratified by the Czech parliament. In exchange for agreeing to base the interceptors in Poland, the United States agreed to provide Poland with a Patriot air defense battery that can shoot down short-range missiles or attacking aircraft. The air defense battery would be operated by about 100 U.S. Army personnel, according to the Pentagon. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said August 14 the arrangement also includes a "mutual commitment" between the two nations to come to each other's assistance in an emergency, according to an Associated Press news report.

Beginning January 12, 2009, travelers to the United States from 22 countries in Europe and five in the Asia-Pacific region currently exempt from certain U.S. visa requirements will be using a new online travel authorization process. Under the new Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), all nationals, including children, from the 27 countries under the U.S. visa waiver program will be required to fill out an electronic travel authorization form posted on the Web (https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/) prior to boarding a U.S.-bound plane or vessel. Initially, there will be no fee to submit an application. It will require answering questions about criminal records, communicable diseases, past history of visa revocation or deportation, and basic biographical data such as name, birth date and passport information. Changes in address and itinerary can be easily made online after the ESTA form has been first submitted. “Getting this information in advance enables our front-line personnel to determine whether a visa-free traveler presents a threat before boarding an aircraft or arriving on our shores,” Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said June 3. “It is a relatively simple and effective way to strengthen our security, and that of international travelers, while helping to preserve an important program for key allies.”