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NATO members reach impasse over war in Iraq
By Alexis Dyer
National/World News Co-Editor
FILE PHOTO
NATO spokesman Yves Brodeur hoped for a compromise from France, Germany and Belgium.
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On Wednesday France, Germany and Belgium rejected a modified North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) proposal aimed at protecting Turkey in case of war with Iraq.
This is the second time that the trio of countries has rejected such a proposal in the past two weeks. It first blocked an initiative on Monday that called not just for protection of Turkey but also for offensive military measures. The NATO ambassadors of France, Germany and Belgium rejected the proposal on the grounds that voting for the proposal would mean condoning U.S. military action in Iraq, which they do not support. They were the sole dissidents of the proposal, with the 16 other NATO countries backing the initiative.
Of the disagreement French ambassador Benoit D’Aboville said, according to The New York Times, “We assume that there is still space for diplomacy, and we should use this space. We don’t see any reason NATO should enforce a policy not in line with what we are trying to
achieve.”
In response to this statement, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said, according to The New York Times, that the three countries are playing politics by using their position on Turkey to “signal their disagreement with the approach that we need, to bring this to a resolution with Iraq in the very near future at the U.N.” He continued by saying, “This is the time for the alliance to say to a fellow alliance member, we agree with you, and if you are concerned, we are
concerned. That’s what alliances are all about.”
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld also responded to the countries’ lack of cooperation, saying that they are bringing arguments from the United Nations into NATO. Rumsfeld also called the trio of countries “old Europe,’ according to The New York Times, a reference to their pacifist stance on the matter.
After the move was blocked, Turkey took the unusual step of invoking Article IV of the NATO doctrine, which requires all members to consult if any one of them feels threatened.
On Wednesday morning the European Unions’ security chief Javier Solana said that he believed that a compromise could be reached. “I have no doubt [the conflict] will be solved,” Solana said, according to Reuters. “I have no doubt it will be solved because as I said before it is not a question of the substance. Turkey will be defended if necessary. It is a question of timing.”
Solana also felt that fellow NATO members have overestimated the seriousness of the situation. He described the situation, according to Reuters, as “an accumulation of differences in opinion which have been held.”
The European Union also announced that heads of state and government would meet next Monday in Brussels for a summit on Iraq. “Now is the time for everyone to take a stand. Europe needs a common stance in this critical period,” said Greek government spokesman Christos Protopapas, according to Reuters.”
In addition, the new plan, involving only the defense of Turkey, was proposed. Many hailed it as a breakthrough and hoped that it would end the rift within member countries.
French Foreign Minister Louis Michel said, according to The New York Times, “This idea had always been a possibility because it focuses…more closely on the defense of Turkey.”
France, Belgium and Germany were not swayed, however, and vetoed the new proposal as well.
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