SUCCESSFUL ACTION ALERT – Macedonia in NATO 2008

Macedonia is a candidate country for NATO membership, and hopes to receive a clear signal to join at the NATO Summit in Riga, Latvia being held on November 28-29, 2006.

Let’s help Macedonia! 

Contact Your State Senator TODAY and Ask Them to Co-Sponsor Senate Bill 4014

Washington, DC – On September 29, 2006, Senator Richard G. Lugar, joined by Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. from Delaware, Senator William H. Frist from Tennessee, Senator John McCain from Arizona, and Senator Gordon H. Smith from Oregon, introduced to the Senate the NATO Freedom Consolidation Act of 2006, Senate Bill 4014.  This bill’s purpose is “to endorse further enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and to facilitate the timely admission of Albania, Croatia, Georgia, and Macedonia to NATO.”

Senator Lugar stated, “the legislation calls for the timely admission of Albania, Croatia, Georgia, and Macedonia to NATO and authorizes security assistance for these countries in Fiscal Year 2007.  Each of these countries has clearly stated its desire to join NATO and is working hard to meet the specified requirements for membership.”  He further elaborated, “I believe that eventual NATO membership for these four countries would be a success for Europe, NATO, and the United States by continuing to extend the zone of peace and security.  Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia have been making progress on reforms through their participation in the NATO Membership Action Plan since 2002.”

Senator Frist in a press release emphasized “the progress made by these countries in implementing the political, economic, and military reforms needed to qualify for NATO membership,” further adding that “each of these countries has made substantive contributions to peace and stability in the region and has demonstrated a desire for closer integration into this institution.”

Macedonia has made eminent progress in the last 15 years to meet the criteria to join NATO.  In cooperating with North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Macedonia played a key role in preventing the spread of the Kosovo crisis.  Macedonia, as a long-time member of NATO’s “Partnership for Peace” program (Vermont’s partnership with Macedonia being one of the most successful partnerships to date) has had on-going cooperative training exercises with the United States military and in the spirit of defense cooperation, has been active in sending military units to Afghanistan and Iraq.

It is extremely important for Macedonia, along with Albania, Croatia, and Georgia, that S. 4014 is successfully voted on in the U.S. Senate!  The United Macedonian Diaspora asks that all of its members, friends, and supporters across the nation do all that they can to generate support and promote passage in the Senate.  Through this bill, the people of America – represented by their elected Senators – will proclaim their recognition and appreciation for Macedonia‘s commitment to the common interests and values of the free and democratic world.

To read text of legislation, click HERE.

How to Contact your Senator:

To Contact your Senator by mail:

Write to:
            The Honorable _________
            U.S. Senate
            Washington, D.C. 2051

To Contact your Senator by phone:

1.      Dial (202) 224-3121 (general number) and ask the operator to connect you to your senator’s office. 

To Contact your Senator by fax:

1.      Visit http://www.senate.gov
2.      Enter your state
3.      Click on the link to your senator’s website
4.      Locate the “Contact” or “Constituent Services” button on your senator’s website to find the fax number for your senator’s office

To Contact your Senator Via E-mail:

1.      Visit http://www.senate.gov
2.      Enter your state
3.      Fill out the electronic form with your name and address
4.      Write and submit your message

In addition to your State Senator, we encourage you to contact members of the U.S. Committee on Foreign Relations as they will be the ones voting on this legislation whether or not to send it for a full floor vote.  Click HERE for the names of the Senators who are on this Committee.

Sample Letter:

Subject: Cosponsor the NATO Freedom Consolidation Act of 2006

Dear Senator (last name):

I am writing to urge you to cosponsor S. 4014, a bill introduced by Senators Lugar, Biden, Frist, McGain, and Smith to endorse further enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and to facilitate the timely admission of Albania, Croatia, Georgia, and Macedonia to NATO.

Macedonia, along with its friends Albania, and Croatia, has made eminent progress in the last 15 years to meet the criteria to join NATO.  In cooperating with North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Macedonia played a key role in preventing the spread of the Kosovo crisis.  Macedonia, as a long-time member of NATO’s “Partnership for Peace” program (Vermont’s partnership with Macedonia being one of the most successful partnerships to date) has had on-going cooperative training exercises with the United States military and in the spirit of defense cooperation, has been active in sending military units to Afghanistan and Iraq.

I hope you will support these countries’ aspirations to become full-fledged members of NATO and urge their invitation to join NATO at the Riga Summit in November 2006.

Sincerely,

Your name

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