Gates says U.S. backs Ukraine's NATO plan

LAKE OHRID, Macedonia, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- The United States still supports NATO membership plans for Ukraine and Georgia, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates reaffirmed Wednesday.

Gates restated the U.S. position after meeting with Ukrainian Defense Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov as part of the South East European Defense Ministerial conference in Lake Ohrid, Macedonia. The two defense leaders met in advance of a NATO defense ministers meeting in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, the Pentagon said in a release.

"We reaffirmed the president's pledge in Bucharest of U.S. support for MAP (membership action plan) for Ukraine," Gates said. "I encouraged the Ukrainian government to continue educating their citizens as to the benefits of being in NATO, and also the importance of continuing their efforts toward defense reform and interoperability. Our position, in principle, remains unchanged."

Ukraine's membership action plan is expected to be discussed in December at a NATO foreign ministers meeting.

Gates also said he was pleased that Russia seemed to be fulfilling its obligations under the cease-fire agreement to withdraw its troops from Georgia by Friday.

"At the same time, I want to take advantage of the opportunity to reaffirm the United States' strong

support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.