BRUSSELS – Three former secretaries general of NATO – Anders Fogh Rasmussen (2009-2014), Lord George Robertson (1999-2003) and Javier Solana (1995-1999) – have called for NATO’s new Brussels headquarters to be named after U.S. Senator John McCain, who died in the age of 81 from cancer on Aug. 25.
In a letter to The Times newspaper of London today, they asked for the tribute to honor McCain’s work in promoting transatlantic unity.
“Sir, as three former secretaries-general of NATO, we believe that the transatlantic alliance is the cornerstone of a stable, peaceful and free world. Few things symbolize this alliance, and the enduring benefits of American global leadership, more vividly than the life and work of John McCain. Despite his being a U.S. senator, across Europe we all felt that John McCain III was one of our own. Whether advancing the cause of freedom across the former Soviet states of eastern Europe or defending the multilateral international order at a time of skepticism, his work was a beacon for all of us who believe that transatlantic unity is the only means of ensuring peace.”
Rasmussen, Robertson and Solana said that naming the new Brussels headquarters, which opened last year, after McCain would be a fitting way to honor his legacy.
