VIENNA : East Meets West
The post-Cold War reunion of Europe is expected to pass a milestone Friday and Saturday when the Council of Europe welcomes eight new members from the former Eastern Bloc and weighs appeals to join from eight other emerging democracies.
The gathering of presidents and prime ministers of the 31 current members in the Austrian capital is to focus on ways to strengthen the rule of law.
Yet the summit’s most significant work is likely to be its induction of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia into its ranks--making it the first Western political alliance to formally embrace former adversaries to the east.
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