Joiners to pay Nato costs

Nato told three former communist countries negotiating membership that they would have to bear most of the cost of joining themselves. "The bulk of the cost should lie on the shoulders of the three countries. There's no doubt about that," Nato Secretary-General Javier Solana told a news conference after alliance defence ministers met their counterparts from Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

Mr Solana said that Nato would come up with figures before the end of the year, to allow parliaments in its 16 nations and the three new countries time to weigh the facts.