US President George W. Bush has said that NATO, "America's most important global relationship," must expand beyond the seven new members the alliance is expected to invite at a historic summit here.
"Because America supports a more united Europe, we strongly support the enlargement of NATO, now and in the future," he said in a speech to a Prague Atlantic Student summit a day before the 48-hour NATO gathering formally opens.
"Every European democracy that seeks NATO membership and is ready to share in NATO's responsibilities should be welcome in our alliance," Mr Bush said, as the alliance was poised to herald its largest-ever expansion.
Tomorrow, NATO is expected to invite Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania to join the alliance, in theory at its next summit in 2004.
"Tomorrow, NATO grows larger; tomorrow, the soul of Europe grows stronger," said Mr Bush, who offered a thinly veiled rebuke to older alliance partners, some of whom oppose military action to disarm Iraq.
"Members recently added to NATO and those invited to join bring greater clarity to purposes of our alliance, because they understand the lessons of the last century," he said.
"Those with fresh memories of tyranny know the value of freedom. Those who have lived through a struggle of good against evil are never neutral between them," said the US leader.
Mr Bush also previewed his message to Russian President Vladimir Putin in talks Friday, saying Moscow has nothing to fear from an expanded NATO and instead "will gain from the security and stability" of its western neighbors.
"Russia does not require a buffer zone of protection. It needs peaceful and prosperous neighbors who are also friends. And we need a strong and democratic Russia as our friend and partner to face the next century's new challenges," said Mr Bush.
AFP