NATO session provides update on security issues in region

Delegates at a North Atlantic Treaty Organization Parliamentary Assembly applaud Ivan Vejvoda, vice-president of the German Marshall Fund, during a work session on the Balkans at Carillon Historical Park on Friday, Feb. 3.

Chris Stewart Delegates at a North Atlantic Treaty Organization Parliamentary Assembly applaud Ivan Vejvoda, vice-president of the German Marshall Fund, during a work session on the Balkans at Carillon Historical Park on Friday, Feb. 3.

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By Steve Bennish, Staff Writer 8:53 PM Friday, February 3, 2012

DAYTON — A parliamentary delegation from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization met Friday at Carillon Park to receive an update on conditions in the Balkan states and to discuss security issues.

There was also some remembrance of the Dayton peace talks. The Dayton Peace Accords were negotiated at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in 1995 and ended years of ethnic warfare in Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. The agreement was signed in Paris on Dec. 15, 1995.

Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, chaired the U.S. delegation. He said tensions continue on the borders of the various nations in the region and Bosnia remains in political stalemate with three presidents.

“The Dayton Peace Accords brought peace, but not a governing structure,” he said. “We’ve had hearings in Washington, D.C. and we’ll talk about how NATO can play a role.”

Turner added that the work sessions will cover a “to do” list to help with greater regional stability.

There were representatives from Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Germany Greece, Hungary, Italy, the U.K. and a host of other NATO countries. They’ll tour the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force today.

Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of State Philip T. Reeker said tensions are far lower in the region today than in the 1990s, but there are still unresolved disputes, particularly in independent Kosovo, while Croatia and Albania are considered notable successes.

“The region remains dynamic, and there are plenty of challenges,” he said. The stability of the Euro currency is one of them, he added.

Reeker told the group that the Balkan nations desire membership in the NATO military alliance.

“Every one of those states desires to have what you have — membership in NATO,” he said. “For the Balkans, it’s part of a goal.”

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