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| Iraq |
| Belgium Continues Blocking Turkey Plan |
| 2003-02-09 |
| Belgium will continue blocking NATO efforts to plan for Turkey's defense against potential attacks from Iraq, Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel said Sunday. Michel urged the United States to give U.N. inspectors more time and resources to search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and backed a reported French-German plan to send U.N. peacekeepers there. France, Belgium and Germany are the only three of NATO's 19 members who don't back preparations to defend the country. They argue it is premature to start the military planning while U.N. efforts to avert war continued. "There are 16 (NATO) countries willing to back the United States, and follow the case for war. We are not there yet," Michel said on a Sunday talk show on VRT television. "And we never will be." Under a so-called "silence procedure" agreed upon Thursday, military planning would begin automatically to deploy early warning planes, missile-interceptor batteries and anti-germ warfare units to Turkey — unless any of the allies raises an objection by 10 a.m. Monday. "We are now busy with France and Germany to write a letter to state out our veto right," Michel said. Toldja so. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #6 Belgium is French in everything but name. We should just give them an enema for what they did in the Congo. Central Africa is screwed big time primarily because of these clowns and their colonial policies. There was, what, something like 12 high school grads in the Congo when they gave it independance. |
| Posted by: Chuck 2003-02-09 20:56:51 |
| #5 Bruce, you're absolutely right, Bush is not trustworthy. In fact, you should go to Iraq right now and prove Saddam doesn't have WMD yourself. And you might as well stay there to protect some buildings. I mean, after all, they wouldn't bomb you would they? Oh wait... the gummint can't be trusted.. better stay home. |
| Posted by: yeah right 2003-02-09 14:18:03 |
| #4 NATO has been dead for 12 years. This is just confirmation of it. It's time for something new. Mind you, there are probably some in France who disagree with their country's stance, and those should not be forgotten when the crap really hits the fan in Europe one day. |
| Posted by: Rw 2003-02-09 14:08:49 |
| #3 I agree with Belgium. It is about time the EU stood up for itself! As an American, I don't always trust what Washington D.C. does elsewhere in the world. The federalization of authority in the EU will offer a counterbalance to any arrogant moves around the world by my guys and gals. The U.S. needs Europe for economic reasons, so NATO must continue. |
| Posted by: Bruce 2003-02-09 13:51:48 |
| #2 I doubt whether Belgium has anything to hide. Belgium has ceased to exist as independent country. It's nothing but the second vote of France in the EU, the UN etc... |
| Posted by: Peter 2003-02-09 12:32:24 |
| #1 We're witnessing the end of NATO here. The invocation of Article V (attack on one is an attack on all) by the US and the subsequent recognition that is was an empty Article utterly dismayed me. I wonder what would have happened had the Soviets rolled over the German plains in the 70's-80's and the US had decided to renage on Article V "Alright Ivan, just let us get our troops out and Berlin is yours, ok?" Perhaps Belgium has got some nasties to hide (as do the French and Germans) in Iraq? |
| Posted by: Tony 2003-02-09 11:33:02 |