BUCHAREST ( 2008-04-02 10:05:34 ) :
US President George W. Bush pressed Nato on Wednesday to offer Georgia and Ukraine a 'clear path' towards membership in the transatlantic alliance.
Whether to open the door to the two erstwhile Soviet republics is a divisive issue at the Nato summit that opens later on Wednesday in the Romanian capital Bucharest, in light of Russian objections to Nato's eastward expansion.
"Here in Bucharest, we must make clear that Nato welcomes the aspirations of Georgia and Ukraine for their membership in Nato and offers them a clear path forward to meet that goal," Bush said.
"My country's position is clear: Nato should welcome Georgia and Ukraine into the Membership Action Plan," he said, referring to a Nato scheme to provide a stepping stone to full membership.
"Nato membership must remain open to all of Europe's democracies that seek it, and are ready to share in the responsibilities of Nato membership."
On the eve of the biggest Nato summit yet, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon warned that ushering Georgia and Ukraine into the alliance might upset the balance of power in Europe.
Instead, speaking on French radio, Fillon urged Nato allies to do more to reach out to Russia.
Almost a dozen other Nato member countries are thought to be opposed as well. Under Nato's tradition of decision-making by consensus, only one "no" vote is needed to stop Georgia and Ukraine in their tracks.
In a significant show of Washington's support for Ukraine's Nato ambitions, Bush visited Kiev ahead of coming to Bucharest, after receiving his Georgian counterpart Mikheil Saakashvili last month.
On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Georgia and Ukraine were "shamelessly" being pushed towards joining Nato, as he accused the United States of "infiltrating" ex-Soviet states.
