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STRASBOURG, France, Oct 20 (AFP) - Three would-be NATO members presented themselves Wednesday as countries the western alliance would be foolish to ignore as it drives deeper into eastern Europe.
Bulgaria, Romania and Lithuania -- all part of the Soviet empire until a decade ago -- sang the virtues of democratic values at the ongoing 45th conference of the Atlantic Treaty Association, a 39-nation non-governmental organization of NATO supporters.
But they also drew attention to their strategic positions on the post-Cold War map, arguing that they would be dependable partners in the troublesome Balkans and useful bridges to a shakey Russia.
"NATO needs Bulgaria, and Bulgaria needs NATO," said Stefan Tarfrov, Sofia's ambassador to Paris, noting that his nation borders on both Greece and Turkey, NATO's two easternmost -- and mutually quarrelsome -- members.
Bulgaria inside NATO means "consolidating the southeast flank of the alliance," and permitting an increased NATO presence on the Black Sea "that can only contribute further to security in this area," he said.
Romania's minister for European integration, Alexandre Herlea, said his country was already "a de facto member of NATO and the European Union," proven by its support for NATO's 78-day war against Yugoslavia over Kosovo.
NATO needs "open and flexible cooperation with third parties, especially Russia," he said, adding: "Romania is in a geographical position to know what Romania is talking about."
From the Baltic region, Vilnius' ambassador to Paris, Asta Skaisgiryte, reached back 600 years to remind her audience that Lithuania, sandwiched between east and west, historically cast its lot with the west.
"Being together in the European Union and NATO, we could serve even more this historical goal -- to win Russia for democracy, to win Russia for Europe," Skaisgiryte said.
All three speakers played down the domestic problems that might affect their countries' chances to follow Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic into NATO in the coming years -- problems that forced changes to Tuesday's conference program.
Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov was supposed to come to Strasbourg, but he cancelled because of upcoming elections, leaving his ambassador to speak on his behalf. Romania's head of state Emil Constantinescu also sent his regrets.
Missing as well was Lithuania's parliamentary speaker and former president Vytautas Landsbergis, after the Baltic state was thrown into political crisis over the privatization of its oil refinery.
The week-long Atlantic Treaty Association conference began in earnest Tuesday with a keynote speech from French President Jacques Chirac, who called for the establishment of a full-time security council within the European Union.
He also pressed for Europe to beef up its ability to intervene militarily without US help, while at the same time reasserting the importance of keeping the United States engaged in Europe's security by way of NATO.