LONDON: The former communist countries began a final big push to join Nato on Friday as George Bush heralded the alliance’s biggest expansion, due later this year.

Meeting in Riga, the prime ministers of the ex-Soviet republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were joined by Slovenia, Bulgaria and Romania for a celebration of their membership applications.

Other hopefuls face a rougher ride: Slovakia will be rejected if there is a rightwing victory in September’s elections; Albania, Croatia and Macedonia are unlikely to make it because their democratic and military credentials are not up to scratch.

Formal invitations will be given to the successful candidates at Nato’s November summit in Prague.

Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic, once pillars of the Warsaw pact, joined in 1999. The latest candidates, especially the three Baltic states and Slovenia — expected to join the EU in 2004 — have carried out far-reaching economic and political reforms.

Nato’s new relationship with another non-member, Russia — sealed with the creation of a new joint council in Rome in May — was designed in part to flatter Putin so that the further enlargement could go ahead.

If Nato does admit seven new members it will be the biggest change in the alliance’s composition ever made.—Dawn/The Guardian News Service.