NATO Official Says Support For Georgia Bid Strong

In an interview with Reuters published today, Simon Lunn said that for most NATO parliamentarians, Georgia's membership in NATO is "a question of 'when' rather than 'if.'"

Since coming to power after the 2003 Rose Revolution, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has made seeking NATO and EU membership a cornerstone of Georgia's foreign policy.

NATO has offered Georgia an "intensified dialogue" on membership, and Tbilisi is working to enact a series of reforms. Georgia hopes to receive an invitation to join NATO at the alliance's 2008 summit.

Newer members of NATO, including the Baltic states, favor expanding the alliance. Some older members like Germany and France have been more cautious, due to concerns about alienating Moscow.

(Reuters)

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