NATO also rebuffed President Bush’s entreaties to extend membership of the alliance to the former Soviet republics of Ukraine and Georgia.

The unusually rancorous meeting of NATO members in Bucharest exposed sharp differences between nations, but despite the rancor President Bush won some agreement on bolstering the number of NATO troops in Afgha-nistan and presenting a united front against Russia’s objections on the issue of missile defense.
After hours of negotiations, the countries agreed to extend membership to Croatia and Albania, but they rejected a membership request by Macedonia, which had been championed by the United States, prompting Macedonian officials to storm out of the meeting.

Russian factor

Bush had pressed the case for Ukraine and Georgia, leading to a direct confrontation with key allies Germany and France, which raised Russia’s concerns about NATO expanding directly into the heart of the former Soviet empire.
In heated negotiations on Wednesday night and again on Thursday, leaders argued over the exact wording of the final communiqué, in particular how to frame the rejection of Ukraine and Georgia. In the end, they only offered rhetorical support for these countries’ aspirations, saying only that they would be members of NATO one day.

French support

But on the brighter side, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he will send a battalion of troops and elite special forces – expected to total around 1,000 soldiers – to bolster the fight against Taliban militants in Afghanistan.
Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were concerned about provoking Moscow, which has warned of a new East-West crisis if NATO takes in Georgia and Ukraine, which are Russia’s neighbours.