Alliance's warm front ends the Cold War

The last vestiges of the old Warsaw Pact were swept away yesterday when Nato invited seven ex-Communist nations to join Nato – once their sworn enemy.

At the start of a two-day Prague summit, the 19-nation alliance formally opened its doors to Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, spreading the security guarantee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation from the Baltic to the Black Sea.

The identity of the invitees – dubbed the alliance's "worst-kept secret" – caused little surprise but the decision was highly symbolic, coming from the Czech capital and the heart of the "Velvet Revolution" against Communism.

Vaclav Havel, the poet who became Czech President, said that the admission of the new states is: "A clear signal given not only for all Europeans, but for the entire world, that the era when countries were divided by force into spheres of influence or when the strong were used to subjugate the weaker has come to an end once and for all."

His aptly poetic words were well-received by many and were backed by President George Bush, who added that "by welcoming seven members, we will not only add to our military capabilities, we will refresh the spirit of this great democratic alliance."

For the new nations, Nato membership signifies a clear security guarantee but it also symbolises acceptance by the West and is seen as a step on the road to the EU.

The Slovakian Foreign Minister, Eduard Kukan, was clearly delighted. He said: "It is an almost inexpressible, thrilling feeling. Of course, a lot of work is still ahead of us because we must become an actual member but, for now, it is a wonderful and thrilling feeling."

Three former Communist countries – Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic – are already Nato members. Of the seven new nations, only Romania and Bulgaria bring significant military hardware to the alliance, although their membership gives Nato air bases and overflying rights in a strategically important part of the world.

Lithuania and Romania already contribute forces to the UN peace-keeping operation in Afghanistan.

Under the deal struck yesterday, detailed talks will start immediately and the seven nations will be scheduled to join no later than May 2004.