SECRETARY GENERAL'S FAREWELL SPEECH TO THE CMC
AT THE SPECIAL CEREMONY - 6 MAY 1999

Ladies and Gentlemen,


On behalf of the North Atlantic Council I would like to thank General Klaus
Naumann for his years of distinguished service to the Alliance.


General, you arrived at NATO in February 1996. During your time here the
Alliance has gone through many changes.


You have been at the centre of all of them: enlargement, reform of the
command structure, the European Strategic Defence Initiative - all are
better for the contribution of Klaus Naumann.


You leave the Alliance in better shape than you found it. But you also
leave us in the midst of another issue that marks the changes since you
arrived: the crisis in Kosovo.


The unity of the Alliance, our clarity of purpose and our effective
strategy reflect your efforts not just over the past few months - but over
the past few years. In the Kososo crisis we have put into practice many of
the new tools you have steered through the Military Committee in recent
years.


Your efforts have helped ensure that our air campaign is well on track and
is meeting its objectives. We are successfully degrading Milosevic's
criminal machine: removing his ability to control his forces, and cutting
off his ability to sustain them. Each day his troops become more and more
isolated in Kosovo; each day, Milosevic moves closer to defeat.


Our aims remain clear: the killing must stop, Milosevic's forces must go,
an international force - with NATO at its core - should enter Kosovo, and
all the refugees should be allowed to go home and rebuild their lives in
safety. We want to see in Kosovo a lasting political settlement based on
the Rambouillet Agreement.


I am confident we will succeed in Kosovo: the unity of spirit we saw at
the Washington Summit demonstrated the determination of all NATO members
and Partners to see the conflict through until our aims are met.


Mon général, Cher Klaus,


Votre aptitude au commandement, votre énergie sans relâche et votre
engagement total pour la paix et la sécurité au Kosovo ont été en tous
points remarquables. Soyez sûr que l'OTAN continuera à faire preuve de la
même détermination jusqu'à ce que les objectifs de la communauté
internationale soient atteints, et que les Albanais du Kosovo puissent
rentrer chez eux en paix et en sécurité.


Mon Général, le succès du Sommet de Washington est l'hommage le plus récent
à vos efforts comme militaire et comme diplomate. Pendant les trois
dernières années, vous avez toujours donné au Conseil de l'Atlantique Nord
les conseils militaires avisés dont nous avions besoin. En outre, au sein
du Comité Militaire et de l'Etat-Major Militaire International, vous avez
toujours su mettre en oeuvre les décisions du Conseil.


Toutes ces qualités et ces réussites font de votre départ une épreuve
pénible pour nous tous : mais, après ces trois années de dur labeur, je
crois que vous méritez bien un peu de repos . Mon général, cher Klaus,
merci pour tout. Je vous souhaite, ainsi qu'à votre épouser, beaucoup de
bonheur pour la suite.


Auf wiedersehen und viel Glück für die Zukunft!
(AOUFVIDEURZEN OUNT FIL GLUK FUR DI TSOUKOUNFT)