By KUNA
Berlin : German Foreign Minister Walter Frank Steinmeier refused on Wednesday the candidacies of Ukraine and Georgia for NATO membership and noted that one must not escalate tension and push Russia’s patience to breakpoint.
Steinmeier told the Leipziger Volkszeitung newspaper ahead of NATO’S three-day meeting in Bucharest, the Romanian capital, today that a large part of Europe is critical of NATO expansion.
He highlighted internal instability in Georgia, a matter which he believed was evident in last year’s presidential elections and the weak support of the Ukrainian people to the bid to join NATO.
At the last NATO Summit, US President George Bush has lobbied fellow leaders on behalf of NATO expansion. He argued that the alliance should be open to all European democracies.
Steinmeier believes that one must put into account the relations with Moscow, especially after the independence of Kosovo.
The NATO conference will discuss its membership expansion, the situation in Afghanistan, and dispute-stricken areas.