The Report Responded to the Mandate’s Requirements

The President’s report responded to the five requirements in the Senate’s  mandate and provided responses with regard to each of the nine countries. Report Provided Limited Discussion of Some Eligibility Issues

The President’s report presented a detailed discussion of the defense,  budgetary, information security, legal, and economic issues surrounding  each country’s eligibility for membership. The information was accurate  and current. However, the report’s  discussion of the challenges facing the nine countries in such areas as civil  liberties, judicial independence, human rights, and minority rights—as well  as government efforts to address those challenges—was either limited or  absent. Because of these considerations, we  have provided additional information on countries’ implementation of  democratic principles and reforms in appendix II to help Congress in its  deliberations on NATO enlargement. We found these adjustments to be generally  reasonable for a preliminary estimate. If Congress finds this material useful during upcoming  deliberations on NATO enlargement, it may wish to request that future  reports contain more detailed information on these issues. Agency Comments

We provided a draft of this report to the National Security Council. In oral  comments, the council generally concurred with the contents of this report. Additional Information on the Implementation of Democratic Principles and Reforms in Countries Seeking NATO Membership

Because the President’s discussion of the implementation of democratic  principles and reforms in relation to countries’ eligibility for NATO  membership was limited, this appendix provides additional information, by  country, that we believe will be useful in understanding the challenges and  developments in the nine countries seeking NATO membership and the  actions their governments are taking to achieve the goals of NATO’s  Membership Action Plan.
Why GAO Did This Study

On November 21 and 22, 2002, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will consider the admission of new members to the alliance. To facilitate congressional deliberations on NATO enlargement, the United States Senate mandated in 1998 that GAO review and assess a report that Congress directed the President to provide on countries seeking membership in NATO. The President submitted a classified report to Congress on August 26, 2002. To fulfill its mandate, GAO determined if the report met the Senate's requirements and if the cost estimates were sound.

What GAO Found

The President's report responded to the mandated requirements with information that was generally accurate and current. The report provided a detailed discussion of each country's eligibility in terms of defense, budgetary, information security, legal, and economic issues. However, the discussion of each country's efforts to implement democratic principles and reforms was limited. That discussion did not reflect the challenges these countries face in the transition to democratic societies--or their efforts to address those challenges--in areas such as civil liberties, judicial independence, human rights, and minority rights. These are important principles of the alliance and a fuller discussion could be useful. GAO provides additional information on these issues in appendix II to help Congress in its deliberations on NATO enlargement. The figure below shows current NATO members and the nine countries that will be considered for membership in November 2002. The National Security Council generally concurred with the contents of this report.