Washington, 9 January 1997 (RFE/RL) - U.S. Secretary of State nominee Madeleine Albright says the United States wants to make sure that the Baltic countries -- Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania -- have a sense of security.
Albright, named by President Bill Clinton to succeed retiring Secretary of State Warren Christopher, made the comment to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations committee yesterday during hearings on her confirmation.
She said NATO is working with the Baltic states "to help them be a part of the European framework," and she added that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are also being assisted by the Nordic countries.
Albright said the aim is to develop a security system which is not threatening to anybody and "in which Russia and Ukraine will have a way of dealing with an expanded NATO."
If confirmed by the Foreign Relations Committee and the full Senate, the Czech-born Albright will become the first woman ever to serve as U.S. secretary of state. She was the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during President Bill Clinton's first four-year term.