THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 15, 1997 TAG: 9702150344
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: 32 lines
A majority of Americans support expanding the U.S.-led NATO alliance to central and eastern Europe and eventually to include Russia, the country NATO was designed to defend against, a poll indicates.
In releasing results Thursday, the poll's sponsors said that of participants asked whether Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic should be made members of NATO, 62 percent were in favor, 29 were opposed and 8 percent were unsure.
Support diminished to about 45 percent when questioners specifically noted that adding new members might cost the United States $1 billion a year and mentioned it would mean putting these nations under the U.S. nuclear umbrella.
The survey also found tepid public interest in the topic. Only 29 percent said they had heard much about NATO expansion. The rest had heard little or nothing.
The poll was part of a study by the Program on International Policy Attitudes, a joint venture of the University of Maryland's Center for International and Security Studies and the Center for the Study of Policy Attitudes.
The poll questioned 1,214 adults last September. The margin of error was 3 to 4 percent.
In the poll, 52 percent said they favored including Russia in NATO and 40 percent were opposed. Russia has not asked to be included, and the Clinton administration sees no prospect that Moscow will be invited.