Du Xiaodan

NATO member states have signed accession protocols for Albania and Croatia in a key step toward formal membership for the two countries. A signing ceremony was held at a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at NATO headquarters in Brussels. The agreement is the next step toward formal NATO membership for the two western Balkan countries, after being invited to join the alliance at the NATO summit in April. The 26 NATO member states will now ratify the protocols according to their national requirements and procedures. NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer expressed the hope that the process would be completed by the next NATO summit in April 2009. // var para_count=1 //   Editor:Du Xiaodan

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