Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

By Laura Smith, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

Former Secretary of the State Madeleine Albright appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday, saying that she has recently participated in the first of four planned seminars as part of a broader process to collect a range of views about NATO's strategy and operations. She said the treaty-organization plans to provide their conclusions and recommendations to the Secretary General by next May.

She said that after consulting with member governments, the Secretary General will draft the strategic concept for consideration at the Lisbon Summit, and when it is approved, it will serve as a guide for the alliance in the coming decade.

“NATO was created in response to the Soviet threat, but not only in response to that threat. It was also designed to reign in the many national rivalries that had ripped Europe apart,” Albright said.