Cohen: Russia has no veto over NATO decisions

VILNIUS - U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen said in Vilnius on
June 10 that Russia has no veto over NATO expansion to the Baltics.
Cohen's remark followed a meeting with President Valdas Adamkus and
other Lithuanian officials.

Cohen said Russia should be involved in work on world security
issues. In the same breath, he said NATO candidate countries would be
invited to join the alliance when they were ready.

"Russia does not have a veto over this decision," Cohen said.

He said after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Moscow also opposed NATO
membership for a united Germany.

Parliament Chairman Vytautas Landsbergis said after the meeting with
Cohen that NATO membership would guarantee good relations between
Lithuania and Russia.

"When we are there [in NATO] our relations [with Russia] will be
absolutely good and not liable to any temptation. We'll love each
other very much, be great friends and no threats will be made,"
Landsbergis said.

Cohen said each country would be accepted into NATO individually and
urged to spend enough money for defense.

Cohen highly evaluated achievements of Lithuania.

"Lithuania is making great progress, working very closely with the
United States and [other] NATO countries, trying to prepare itself
for NATO membership," Cohen said.

He participated also in a traditional meeting of defense ministers
from five Scandinavian states, the Baltic countries and the United
States.

The meeting, held in Vilnius Town Hall, discussed close military
cooperation among Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia,
Latvia, Lithuania and the United States. It was the third such
meeting. Previous meetings were held in Copenhagen and Oslo.