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| Iraq |
| Three Stooges Block U.S. at NATO on Turkey |
| 2003-02-10 |
| France, Germany and Belgium blocked NATO efforts Monday to begin planning for possible Iraqi attacks against Turkey, deepening divisions in the alliance over the U.S.-led push to oust Saddam Hussein. Turkey immediately requested emergency consultations under NATO's mutual defense treaty — or Article 4 — the first time a nation has done so in the alliance's 53-year history. "I am not seeking today to minimize the seriousness of the situation. It is serious," said NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson during a break in the meeting of alliance ambassadors, where he called the atmosphere "very heated." Diplomats said France, Germany and Belgium would do serious harm to the credibility of NATO if they would reject Turkey's direct request for help. Article 4 declares NATO members will consult when "in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the parties is threatened." Early Monday, France, Germany and Belgium blocked the automatic start of NATO procedures for the military planning to protect Turkey, arguing it would force the crisis into a "logic of war" when diplomatic alternatives still stood a chance of success. "It would signify that we have already entered into the logic of war, that ... any chance, any initiative to still resolve the conflict in a peaceful way was gone," Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel said. The move was a blow to the United States, which has lobbied hard for more than three weeks for the alliance to begin military planning and won the support of 16 of the 19 NATO allies. "This is a most unfortunate decision," said U.S. ambassador to NATO Nicolas Burns. "Because of their actions, NATO is now facing a crisis of credibility." Just what do you have to do to eject someone from NATO? Still, Lord Robertson sought to play down the divisions. "What is important, is that we arrive at a consensus and I'm confident we will," he said. Turkey's Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis also sought to soothe tempers. "There was no veto on defending Turkey," Yakis told reporters in Ankara. "There is disagreement over the timing" but not on the principle of defending Turkey, he said. "These problems can be overcome." He did not say whether Turkey would directly ask NATO to start contingency planning to defend Turkey against an attack. Diplomats said they expected France and the other holdouts to drop their objections to the military planning when faced with a direct request from the Turks under the treaty. "I trust the alliance will stick together and we will help Turkey," Norwegian Defense Minister Kristin Krohn Devold said Sunday. "I have a strong belief in commonsense." Over the weekend, at an international defense conference in Munich, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld warned continued delays in responding to Turkey's request were "inexcusable" and risked undermining the credibility of the alliance. He intensified his criticism in an interview published Sunday in Italy's La Republica newspaper. "Shameful, for me it's truly shameful," Rumsfeld was quoted as saying. "Turkey is an ally. An ally that is risking everything ... How can you refuse it help?" In France, officials stood by their position but said they would help the Turks if they judged it necessary. "If Turkey was really under threat, France would be one of the first at its side," French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie told reporters in Munich. "Today, we don't feel that threat is there." Bastards As well as trans-Atlantic differences, the deadlock highlighted deep divisions among European allies. The majority, led by Britain, Spain and Italy, is backing the tough line against Iraq taken by the United States and has been opposed by France and Germany. NATO's military commanders say the planning for the limited support for Turkey can be wrapped up within a few days once they get the go-ahead, but actual deployment of the NATO units will need further approval from the 19 allies. All NATO decisions require unanimous support from the allies. Fat chance of getting that. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #8 I like TORNATO - Three Oafs Removed NATO or The Offical Reorganized NATO or... |
| Posted by: becky 2003-02-11 08:55:50 |
| #7 So now Frenchie and Co. are actively working against the common defense of NATO members. Is it time to start thinking of that French carrier heading for the gulf as a "hostile presence". |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2003-02-10 17:23:00 |
| #6 How about DYRT-WWC-TYD. (Did You Really Think We Would Come To Your Defense) |
| Posted by: RW 2003-02-10 16:08:13 |
| #5 Or how about NUKE (Nations United to Kill Extremists?) |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-02-10 12:18:55 |
| #4 NEATO is neat! But what about GOFISH (Grand Organization For Instituting Serious Hegemony)? |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-02-10 10:31:08 |
| #3 Or ODON - Organization of Democratic Oriented Nations |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-02-10 09:51:15 |
| #2 As I've read elsewhere, lets replace NATO with NEATO (New European American Treaty Orginization). Old Europe need not apply. |
| Posted by: BigFire 2003-02-10 09:35:32 |
| #1 How about DYRT-WWC-TYD. (Did You Really Think We Would Come To Your Defense) |
| Posted by: RW 2/10/2003 4:08:13 PM |