Nato officials hope the two nations will become full members before an April summit [EPA]

After the signing by their foreign ministers, the two Balkan nations are now able to sit in on meetings of Nato's main decision-making body, the North Atlantic council.

They will become full members, under the alliance's defence umbrella, after membership is ratified by their parliaments and those of the 26 current members.

Nato officials hope that can be done before an alliance summit in April.

Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the Nato secretary-general, said the signing showed the progress in the Balkans since the violence that marked the break-up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

Nato leaders agreed at their last summit in April to bring the two countries in, but excluded neighbouring Macedonia after Nato member Greece objected to that country's name, saying it implies a territorial claim on part of northern Greece also known as Macedonia.

The signing is widely regarded as a blow to Macedonia's hopes of catching up with the others and joining at the same time.

Croatia will become the second former Yugoslav nation to join Nato, after Slovenia which entered in 2004.

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