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NATO

• According to AFP, NATO Secretary General Robertson said in an interview published in Polish daily Rzeczpospolita Wednesday that Russia realizes it has no influence on NATO’s decision to enlarge, and enlargement is not contradictory to improving ties with Moscow. "Russia understands that the decision (on enlargement) will be an internal one. Neither a Russian veto nor doubts can influence that decision," Lord Robertson reportedly said, adding: "We can develop good relations with Russia and pursue at the same time our plans" for enlargement.

• Greece and Turkey backed Balkan neighbors Romania and Bulgaria for NATO membership on Wednesday, and Romania said the two applicants could help secure a vulnerable southeastern flank, reports Reuters. The dispatch also quotes Romanian Foreign Minister Geoana saying, after talks with Turkish, Bulgarian and Greek counterparts in Istanbul, that acceptance of the two countries at NATO’s November summit would end Turkey’s virtual geographical isolation from the rest of the Alliance. "Our membership would form a bridge…. After Sept. 11, most problems are seen coming from an area close to our part of the world. With the inclusion of Bulgaria and Romania, the Black Sea would evolve from a secondary enclave to a … springboard for the Transcaucasus and Caspian region," Geoana reportedly stressed.

• Warsaw’s PAP, Feb. 12, reported that the United States has granted $8.5 million worth of TACAN and ILS navigation systems to air force and air defense units in four Polish air bases. NATO’s TACAN and ILS have replaced Soviet systems working on different frequencies, said the dispatch, explaining that ILS promotes safer aircraft landing in poor visibility, whereas TACAN can simultaneously track multiple ground stations and can be configured as a pilot-controlled positioning system and a blind navigation sensor. The system will be used during NATO’s Strong Resolve exercises in Poland in March, added the dispatch.

• The staff information system-the backbone of the Czech army’s remaining 12 data networks—will not begin to function next year as had been expected, but later, reported Prague’s Hospodarske Noviny, Feb. 12. The newspaper remarked that the crucial information system, which should have roughly 1,000 users, was already supposed to have been in operation the year before last. Its construction, however, was pushed back owning to a shortage of funds and, therefore, would now be more expensive. Chief of the General Staff Gen. Sedivy was quoted saying: "We have to replace first of all the –from the current perspective—already outdated hardware. How much use is made of the computers also depends on the size of the garrisons of the future professional army and their location." The newspaper recalled that NATO criticized the Czech armed forces again this year for not having an integrated plan for the construction and architecture of the networks. It added that Poland and Hungary, as new Alliance member countries, are also grappling with many shortcomings in the construction of information systems for their armed forces while Slovakia has not even begun to establish them.

• According to AFP, the Portuguese navy Tuesday recalled its ships at sea as a cost cutting measure, except those used for rescue operations and the flagship of the NATO fleet in the Atlantic. The dispatch quotes the Lusa news agency saying Defense Minister Pensa had indicated that most naval ships would return to their home ports under the plan, which was aimed at reducing the navy’s expenses without threatening the country’s security. Pensa reportedly added that the naval training programs would also be limited because of budgetary restrictions. "There is no doubt that the navy has budgetary problems," he said. He added, however, that the Defense Ministry was attempting to unblock funds to ease the situation.

• AFP quotes the Itar-TASS news agency saying Russian and NATO experts met in Moscow Wednesday to prepare a joint exercise which will test their response to a terrorist attack on a chemical facility. According to the dispatch, Deputy Emergency Situations Minister Korotkin told the meeting the exercise will be held in September in Noginsk, near Moscow. "We will develop general principles for coordinating action by the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry and NATO countries’ rescue services," he added.

• According to Moscow’s Interfax, the Russian military representation at NATO headquarters in Brussels will have new personnel before the end of February. "The number of Russian military officers sent to Brussels will remain the same: 11," said the dispatch, quoting military-diplomatic sources. The dispatch further said the Russian military representation at NATO headquarters would be headed by Vice-Adm. Valentin Kuznetsov, who previously was head of the international-contractual department of the Russian Defense Ministry.

BALKANS

• World media continue to focus on the trial of former President Milosevic. In an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera, former SACEUR ret. Gen. Clark says he has been asked to testify and would do so.

In a contribution to the Wall Street Journal, David Phillips, a senior fellow and deputy director of the Center for Preventive Action of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, observes that the recent arrest of religious extremists in Bosnia, and their subsequent deportation, have rekindled concerns that the Balkans could become a staging ground for Al Qaeda.

For the time being, these fears are misplaced. Countries in the Balkans need help, however, in making sure this remains the case, Phillips stresses, concluding: "The Bush administration came into office looking to accelerate its disengagement from the Balkans. But after Sept. 11, America has a renewed interest in assisting emerging democracies and consolidating post-conflict peace-building in Southeastern Europe. Neglecting the Balkans would increase prospects for instability and create fertile ground for terrorist networks."

OTHER NEWS

• AFP reports that historically neutral Sweden officially unveiled Tuesday a new defense policy formally endorsing cooperation with other countries to counter future security threats. According to the dispatch, the new policy, published by the Swedish Foreign Ministry, states that while Sweden "pursues a policy of non-participation in military alliances," it was now apparent that "threats to peace and our security can best be averted by acting concertedly and in cooperation with other countries." As a member of the EU, the four-paragraph policy statement added, "we are part of a community based on solidarity, whose primary purpose is to prevent war on the European continent." The dispatch notes that the new policy does not specify whether any future cooperation would be with NATO or with individual countries in ad hoc alliances. It adds that Prime Minister Persson stressed Tuesday that NATO membership was not in Sweden’s plans. "The heart of our policy is military non-alliance. I see nothing in Sweden’s development that indicates that we are going to join a military alliance," he reportedly told the Swedish news agency TT. He added, however, that "we do want to cooperate with NATO countries and in those projects we want to have influence." The dispatch stresses reports, however, that Bo Lundgren, the leader of the Moderate Party which backs Swedish membership in NATO, said the wording of the new defense policy meant the door was now open for that to happen in the future. "We are not committing ourselves to this solution or that solution…. But for us, NATO is a natural next step," Lundgren is quoted saying.

 FINAL ITEM