110 STAT. 3009 -175 PUBLIC LAW 104-208—SEPT. 30, 1996 concrete steps to demonstrate this commitment, including their participation in Partnership for Peace activities. (19) The Caucasus region remains important geographically and politically to the future security of Central Europe. As NATO proceeds with the process of enlargement, the tJnited States and NATO should continue to examine means to strengthen the sovereignty and enhance the security of United Nations recognized countries in that region. (20) In recognition that not all countries which have requested membership in NATO will necessarily qualify at the same pace, the accession date for each new member will vary. (21) The provision of additional NATO transition assistance should include those emerging democracies most ready for closer ties with NATO and should be designed to assist other countries meeting specified criteria of eligibility to move forward toward eventual NATO membership. (22) The Congress of the United States finds in particular that Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic have made significant progress toward achieving the criteria set forth in section 203(d)(3) of the NATO Participation Act of 1994 and should be eligible for the additional assistance described in this Act. (23) The evaluation of future membership in NATO for emerging democracies in Central and Eastern Europe should be based on the progress of those nations in meeting criteria for NATO membership, which require enhancement of NATO's security and the approval of all NATO members. (24) The process of NATO enlargement entails the consensus agreement of the governments of all 16 NATO members and ratification in accordance with their constitutional procedures. (25) Some NATO members, such as Spain and Norway, do not allow the deployment of nuclear weapons on their territory although they are accorded the full collective security guarantees provided by Article 5 of the Washington Treaty. There is no a priori requirement for the stationing of nuclear weapons on the territory of new NATO members, particularly in the current security climate. However, NATO retains the right to alter its security posture at any time as circumstances warrant. SEC. 603. UNITED STATES POLICY. It is the policy of the United States— (1) to join with the NATO allies of the United States to adapt the role of the NATO Alliance in the post-Cold War world; (2) to actively assist the emerging democracies in Central and Eastern Europe in their transition so that such countries may eventually qualify for NATO membership; (3) to support the enlargement of NATO in recognition that enlargement will benefit the interests of the United States and the Alliance and to consider these benefits in any analysis of the costs of NATO enlargement; (4) to ensure that all countries in Central and Eastern Europe are fully aware of and capable of assuming the costs
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