USA: ROMANIAN PRESIDENT CONSTANTINESCU MEETS PRESIDENT CLINTON

English/Nat Romanian President Emil Constantinescu has met his American counterpart President Clinton at the White House as part of his nine day visit to the United States. At the top of the talks agenda was Romania's bid to join NATO which has been the main theme of President Constantinescu's visit. It was the first official visit by a Romanian president to the White House since 1978 when former dictator Nicolai Ceausescu met Richard Nixon. Now, after decades of stagnation under a cold war dictatorship, Romania looks westwards. On Wednesday President Emil Constantinescu told a joint session of Congress that Romania doesn't want to be an economic burden but a trusted ally. Constantinescu has been trying to convince the U-S that Romania should be among those nations included in a second wave of NATO expansion. But last year NATO told Romania it needed to develop its economy and democracy before it could be in the running. Constantinescu acknowledged that it has been difficult to rebuild Romania's economy, but insisted that the nation could be an anchor for southeastern Europe. Some members of Congress strongly oppose further expansion of NATO. They complain about potential hidden costs, and worry it will isolate Russia and lead to more entangling military commitments. But Constantinescu sought to reassure Congress, and said the present time is as crucial to the future of Europe as the years after World War II. In the first wave of NATO expansion, Poland the Czech Republic, and Hungary were invited to join the military alliance. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/77d5b51b5842e00b0a980fb4c445190f Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork