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| Subject: Tuesday, February 11, 2003 Adar1 9, 5763 Israel Time: | |
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Author: NATO nixes summit for informal talks on ending |
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Date Posted: 06:22:43 02/11/03 Tue Tuesday, February 11, 2003 Adar1 9, 5763 Israel Time: 15:27 (GMT+2) Back Home NATO nixes summit for informal talks on ending Iraq standoff By Reuters BRUSSELS - Crisis-torn NATO called off a meeting to resolve deep divisions over Iraq on Tuesday, opting for informal diplomacy to bring France, Germany and Belgium in line with their allies. Ambassadors from the military alliance's 19 nations were gathering for their third meeting in a little over 24 hours when NATO Secretary-General George Robertson decided to cancel it. "There's so much informal consultation going on it was felt we didn't need the meeting," a NATO official said, adding there would probably be a formal session of the North Atlantic Council at 4:30 P.M. (1530 GMT) Tuesday. The move did not mean a standoff over Iraq had hardened, he said, and noted ambassadors were scheduled to hold their weekly informal meeting over lunch. Officials said Robertson may take a new approach to resolve the crisis after France, Germany and Belgium blocked NATO from preparing to defend Turkey in case of a U.S.-lead war on Iraq. There was some speculation he could limit the proposals to measures to defend Turkey, stripping out two others - replacing soldiers in Balkan peacekeeping operations who may be deployed in Iraq and protecting U.S. bases in Europe. "This would be a convenient fig-leaf for those who have been blocking to claim they have won," said one diplomat. The council session was scheduled after a day of drama at NATO's Brussels headquarters Monday when the European trio blocked any planning to protect Turkey. The events dealt a heavy blow to the 54-year-old alliance, which was built on a foundation of mutual defense, and laid bare divisions both across the Atlantic and within Europe over Iraq. Turkey is anxious for NATO to start planning for deploying Patriot air defense missiles, AWACS surveillance aircraft and anti-chemical and anti-biological warfare teams in case of any counter-attacks by neighboring Iraq. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Nicholas Burns accused the three countries of plunging NATO into a credibility crisis just weeks after a triumphant summit in Prague where leaders pledged to transform it to meet post-September 11 security threats. He said France, Germany and Belgium had, against all logic, imported their arguments against military action at the UN Security Council into an organisation which had a duty to make contingency plans for the defense of one of its members. U.S. President George W. Bush believed the trio had affected NATO "in a negative way" but France, Germany and Belgium said even defensive preparations could suggest they had given up on diplomatic efforts to prevent a war. "There's no hint of any change of position from the French," an official said before Tuesday's meeting was cancelled. When the trio objected ahead of a deadline on Monday, Turkey invoked Article IV of NATO's founding treaty, under which allies seek consultations if they fear they are under threat. Turning up the heat, Ankara said Tuesday that NATO had a duty to start military preparations to defend a loyal ally that had protected its front line through decades of Cold War. "Turkey defended the whole of Europe during the Cold War period. It was a shield for Europe. So there is no doubt that NATO must do what falls to it," Prime Minister Abdullah Gul told reporters in Ankara. [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |