NATO New members' flags rise at headquarters

In a month, the European Union will welcome 10 new members.
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- Flags of seven new NATO members from former communist Europe rose at alliance headquarters for the first time Friday, marking the biggest expansion in its 55-year history.
However, Russia expressed doubt whether a bigger NATO would improve Europe's stability, and the country's new foreign minister called for "structures" in which no one would feel excluded.
The emotional ceremony began with a military band playing the national anthems of the newcomers -- Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Latvia and Estonia.
Afterward, foreign ministers of the seven nations joined their counterparts from the 19 other members, including Secretary of State Colin Powell, for talks on challenges facing the alliance -- including Afghanistan, arms control and the fight against terrorism.
The seven newcomers officially joined the alliance Monday during a ceremony in Washington hosted by President Bush. The foreign ministers' meeting here marked their accession into policy-making within the alliance.
European Union
NATO's expansion will be followed in a month by the European Union's absorption of 10 new members -- twin moves that represent the end of decades of Cold War division in Europe.
"At last we can feel secure," Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga said in Riga, his country's capital. "It gives us a sense that we've not just recovered our sovereignty, but that we can be assured of preserving it for our children and grandchildren."
Bulgaria, once among the Soviet Union's staunchest allies, declared Friday a national holiday. Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania celebrated with parades. City buses in Estonia flew NATO flags.
Estonian Foreign Minister Kristiina Ojuland said that watching his nation's flag rise at NATO headquarters was "one of those moments you remember for the rest of your life."
Russian concern
Russia, however, has expressed concern over the eastward expansion of its Cold War foe. Former Soviet allies Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary joined the alliance in 1999.
The Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania were part of the Soviet Union before it ceased to exist Jan. 1, 1992.
President Vladimir Putin said Russia does not fear NATO expansion. But he said the alliance's eastward march won't improve international security.
"Today's threats are such that the expansion of NATO will not remove them," Putin said in Moscow after meeting with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
Mindful of Moscow's concerns, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said the alliance was determined to "elevate NATO-Russia relations to a new quality."
After the ceremonies, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with the NATO ministers. He told reporters later that it was "high time to start developing structures that would leave no one feeling excluded."