Washington - The US Senate has ratified a NATO expansion treaty that ushers in Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic as new members of the western alliance. The Senate vote on Thursday night was 80 to 19 in favour of expansion.
Ratification of the treaty expanding the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) for the first time into territory controlled by the former Warsaw Pact required a two-thirds majority in the 100-seat Senate. President Clinton called the approval "a major milestone on the road to an undivided, democratic and peaceful Europe".