Today a conference was held between the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister and the Riigikogu's Committee on National Defence. President Meri gave a briefing on the US-Baltic Charter of Partnership, calling the Charter an engagement between security and entente. According to the President, small nations of Europe, including the Baltic ones, have strong supporters among top American statesmen. For instance, the US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has affirmed that Madrid opened the door to NATO for the Baltic countries and now a mechanism has to be created for them to walk through that door. Continued NATO enlargement is a political decision of the NATO member countries.
A more specific topic at the meeting was the financing of Estonian national defence. The establishment of a fixed apportionment of defence spending in the state budget was considered impossible at the moment. What is more important is expedient planning of expenses, their gradual augmentation as need be and their purposeful handling. Duplication of spending must be avoided. A possible merger of state-owned Estonian fleets was a case considered. Further, part of the funds actually being spent on fulfilling the functions of national defence (such as the defence- related duties of the Borderguard or the Rescue Board) appears in the budget on the line of other ministries than the Ministry of Defence, thus obscuring the overview of the total defence spending. According to the Prime Minister, in spring the Government intends to discuss important national issues, including defence spending, at the launch of debates on the budget for 1999.
As far as the organization of national defence is concerned, those present were unanimous that it should proceed from the constitutional provision that the President of the Republic is the supreme commander of national defence. What needs specification, however, is the competence of the National Defence Council advising the President. That body, the Committee thought, according to its vice-chairman Tõnu Kõrda, could tackle a wider range of security policy issues. Another opinion everybody shared was that an early political solution should be found to the controversy between the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff of the Defence Forces. Interdepartmental controversies must not become a hurdle on Estonia's way to NATO, the conference heard.

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