Prague summit to transform Cold War military pact

Nato's 'most important meeting since 1949' is laden with symbolism, reflecting changing security priorities and membership

Not since Soviet tanks rolled through the streets in 1968 has Prague faced such an invasion. But this week the visitors have been invited and include as many as 46 leaders gathered to celebrate an event once unthinkable in the heartland of the former Warsaw Pact.

Today's Nato summit is its first behind what was the Iron Curtain and could not be more laden with symbolism. In the city where the Velvet Revolution brought about the end of Czech Communism, President George Bush was met by Vaclav Havel, the poet-turned-president who became a symbol of resistance to Soviet rule. In the wings were the leaders of seven more ex-Communist states that will be formally invited to join the 19-strong Nato alliance today.

For Mr Havel, who steps down next year, last night's formal banquet at Prague Castle was his international swansong and it brought forward generous tributes. The French President, Jacques Chirac, said: "History will first and foremost remember the light you kept going during the darkest hours experienced by your country."

Although the menu was not officially disclosed, one newspaper reported that the 19 leaders of Nato feasted on wild mushrooms, fish soup with saffron, guinea fowl with old Czech mustard sauce, potato pancakes, roasted young vegetables in dough with basil, and raspberry plate for dessert.

Over the next two days the Nato leaders will be joined by counterparts from nations that have a partnership with the alliance, ranging from Albania to Uzbekistan.

As the delegates gathered, some officials joked that, in one respect at least, the newcomers from Eastern Europe might find the carefully scripted and stage-managed summit rather familiar. Nato officials pride themselves on the avoidance of the unexpected at their summits. "The only chance of a surprise is another set of floods," said one senior official.

Struggling to prove its relevance after being sidelined in the wake of 11 September, Nato has billed this as a "transformation summit".

Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, Nato's secretary general, is seeking to revamp the alliance command structure and streamline headquarters bureaucracy. And, speaking to an audience of young people before the dinner, Mr Bush outlined his plans to launch a new Nato response force designed to tackle terrorism.

Mr Bush knows that US commitment to the alliance is being questioned and he pulled out all the rhetorical stops, describing Prague as the most significant summit for Nato since its formation in 1949. "Nato faces dangers very different from those it was founded to confront, but never has the need for collective defence been greater," he said.

Washington barely hides its frustration at low defence spending by its European allies, which has led to a transatlantic gulf in capabilities. The Prague summit aims to produce new commitments from Europeans to narrow the gap. Tensions remain high over Iraq, with Germany and France sceptical and nervous about war. Mr Bush is not expected to hold formal talks with the German Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, who was recently re-elected on an anti-war programme.

American F-16 jets will patrol the skies to protect the 3,000 delegates at the conference. There will also be some 12,000 police on duty – at least 3,500 drafted in from outside the city, – as well as 2,400 soldiers. The huge security operation, costing more than €1m (£640,000), is designed to protect not just against terrorist threats but against anarchists and anti-globalisation protesters who wrecked parts of the city at an International Monetary Fund meeting two years ago, causing €480m of damage.

One group of protesters known as the "Darkers" are thought to have caused 10 power cuts in the region. Last night, poor weather was discouraging many from turning out and several squares where demonstrations had been scheduled were quiet. Supporters of the Czech Communist Party gathered at the picturesque Old Town square under damp and foggy skies but, at about 400, the crowd was far smaller than expected.

But among the police on duty last night was a special anti-terrorist squad, whose chief told one local paper that they would not hesitate to shoot if necessary. "If some moron, for fun, takes his father's rifle and goes to the window at the time Bush is there, then he has bad luck," said Libor Lochman.