For Immediate Release
July 6, 2004

New International Support for the Broader Middle East
Fact of the Day

Over the past month, support for reform to help the people in the broader Middle East has grown, with new and enhanced partnerships emerging from the G-8, U.S.-European Union, and NATO summits. At the G-8 Summit, a Partnership for Progress and a Common Future was launched to support democratic, social, and economic reform in the region. At their summit meeting, the EU and U.S. pledged to build on their regional partnerships to enhance reform and development across the region. At the NATO summit in Istanbul, NATO leaders launched the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, to enhance security relationships with willing partners in the region. Support for reform is growing in the region, and the nations of the G-8, Europe, and NATO are doing their part to support a brighter future for those living in the broader Middle East.

SOURCES: G-8, NATO, and U.S.-EU summit declarations.

For more information, please visit the following Web sites: http://www.nato.int/docu/pr/2004/p04-096e.htm, http://www.g8usa.gov/d_060904c.htm, http://fpc.state.gov/fpc/33946.htm