The US President, Mr Bill Clinton, said yesterday that NATO would hold a summit in Washington in the spring of 1999 which he hoped would welcome Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic into the alliance.
At his last major news conference for the year, Mr Clinton also said the US Senate should approve NATO expansion. "The United States has led the way in transforming our alliance; now we should be among the first to vote yes for NATO's historic enlargement," he said.
In July, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation agreed to invite Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic to join the alliance. Yesterday the three countries signed formal accession documents to begin the membership process.
The decision for NATO to expand must be ratified by the US Senate, as well as by the parliaments of the alliance's other members. Mr Clinton used the news conference to promote the process of persuading senators to vote for it.
"I am gratified that Congress has already taken an active, positive role in a bipartisan manner through the Senate NATO observer group," he said. "I will promptly seek the Senate's advice and consent on NATO expansion when Congress returns in January."
Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic were members of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact, NATO's chief adversary until it collapsed in 1991.
In another part of a wide-ranging session with the media, Mr Clinton lamented the 18-year rift between the United States and Iran, saying the split was "tragic" and praising the historical influence of Persian culture on America.
"I have always said, from the beginning, that I thought it was tragic that the United States was separated from the people of Iran," he said. "Americans have been greatly enriched by Iranian, by Persian culture, from the beginning of our country."
On Monday, Mr Clinton welcomed an overture from the Iranian President, Mr Mohammad Khatami, who praised the "great American people" and suggested his government was interested in renewing a relationship with the US. Washington broke off diplomatic relations with Iran in April 1980 after Islamic revolutionaries held US diplomats hostage at the embassy in Tehran for over a year.
The president denied snubbing the Israeli President, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, earlier this year and said he expected to meet the Israeli leader early next year to discuss peace in the Middle East.
Mr Clinton also indicated he would announce within days what the US plans for any presence in Bosnia after the current international peacekeeping military mission ends in June.
Mr Clinton told the news conference he would make the announcement before leaving on Sunday for Bosnia to visit the 8,000 US troops in the peacekeeping force.
Turning to Asia, the president said it was important that the US do what it could to support the region through its ongoing economic crisis. He urged Congress to approve more money for the International Monetary Fund.
Mr Clinton said he was encouraged by South Korean steps to implement the IMF's plan for South Korean economic recovery, and said the agency should take the lead in international efforts to assist Asia.
What was light-heartedly described as the really big revelation of the news conference came when Mr Clinton, pressed by reporters, announced that his new puppy would be called "Buddy", after his late uncle.
The president has been given a chocolate-coloured Labrador pup.
"I'm going to call the dog "Buddy" because of the importance of my uncle to my life, but also because my uncle raised and trained dogs for over 50 years," Mr Clinton said.
He thanked Americans for the thousands of names they sent to the White House, entered in newspaper contests or circulated on the web. He cited plays on his home-state Arkansas - "Barkansas" and "Arkanpaws" - and parallels to the White House cat, Socks, such as Boots or Shoes. "Sax" was also floated in honour of Mr Clinton's musical hobby. One suggestion was for DOTUS to go with the Secret Service codes for POTUS (President of the United States) and FLOTUS (First Lady of the United States.)