Brian Whitmore, RFE/RL Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright says now is the time for NATO to "renew its vows" to provide security to its members in an increasingly dangerous world.
Albright was speaking [January 12] at the opening of an international conference in Prague aimed at redefining the Western alliance's mission for the 21st century.
The former top U.S. diplomat is chairing a panel of experts charged with drafting a new NATO strategic concept that will be considered at the alliance's 2010 summit later this year in Lisbon. The document, once approved, will outline NATO's core priorities.
Speaking in Prague's ornate Czernin Palace, which houses the Czech Foreign Ministry, Albright noted that it has been more than a decade since the alliance updated its core mission statement.
"The last strategic concept was done in 1999, which was before the new countries were active members of NATO and before 9/11," Albright said.
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