Military

ICC-NATO-ACCESSION

¨         According to AFP, U.S. Senator McCain insisted Friday that there was no link between U.S. support for NATO accession and candidate countries agreeing to grant U.S. troops immunity from prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC).  "We are not asking our friends to choose between NATO and the EU," McCain reportedly said in Ljubljana after meeting Slovenian Foreign Minister Rupel.    Another AFP dispatch reports the U.S. Embassy in Tallinn Friday rejected media reports of a link between U.S. support for NATO accession and candidate countries agreeing to grant U.S. troops immunity from prosecution by the ICC.  "There is no connection between the decision of the U.S. government to support any candidate for NATO membership and their individual decision to sign an agreement regarding treatment of U.S. citizens by the (ICC)," the dispatch quotes a U.S. Embassy statement saying. A related New York Times article writes meanwhile that the Bush administration has warned European nations that the American role in NATO will change if the EU refuses the United States' request for agreement to keep Americans out of reach of the ICC.  EU foreign ministers meeting at the end of the week in Copenhagen will begin deliberations on whether to grant the United States such an exception, says the daily, recalling that in an interview with Danish media last week, the U.S. ambassador at large for war crimes, Pierre-Richard Prosper, said that if the answer is no, the status quo between the United States and NATO "will obviously not exist, and we will have to see how we can work through this."  According to a State Department transcript of the interview, adds the newspaper, Prosper also said that if countries that are candidates to become members of NATO did not sign such an agreement,  "it will be an issue that we will have to discuss in the NATO context." The newspaper adds, however, that while several European nations viewed these remarks as a veiled threat, Philip Reeker, a State Department spokesman, insisted that Prosper's remarks about NATO reflected the administration's deep concerns about the court.  "The Europeans know our concerns about peacekeeping and NATO.. We are not prepared to speculate on what alternative strategies we might pursue if our current policy falls short of our goal,"  Reeker is quoted saying.

BALKANS

¨         Reuters reports two Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia policemen were shot dead early Monday in a machinegun attack.  The dispatch quotes a police spokesman saying the drive-by attack on a police checkpoint occurred in the western town of Gostivar, mainly populated by ethnic Albanians.  The dispatch remarks that the shooting was one of the most serious incidence of violence in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia since an internationally brokered peace deal last year. It adds that the NATO mission in Skopje said it was aware of the reports and had deployed one of its liaison team to the scene to evaluate the situation.

¨         AFP, Aug. 23, reported that in an interview Friday, ICTY Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte lashed out at NATO peacekeeping forces in Bosnia for not making "a real effort" to arrest former Bosnian Serb leader Karadzic.  "SFOR has to stop doing public relations operations.  I am really angry.  SFOR needs to make a real effort.  I am sure that they can arrest him," she reportedly told the news agency. "I am sick and tired of reading media reports that they are trying to catch him" she added. According to the news agency, the statement brought a stinging response from a NATO spokesman in Brussels, who said Del Ponte should show some "restraint" in her comments.  "As a spokesman, I would not dream of judging the work of Mrs. Del Ponte and she would be well advised to show the same restraint in regard to SFOR's work," the spokesman reportedly said.  A subsequent AFP dispatch suggested that NATO's failed attempts to put Karadzic's behind bars are feeding the legend of an elusive hero, developed by Bosnian Serbs who have been helping their wartime leader escape the peacekeepers.  The dispatch explained that  "The Serb Talibans" and "Do not give away our brothers" are among song titles of the latest home-produced audio tapes with songs pledging protection and support to Karadzic and his army commander, Ratko Mladic.  Describing the tapes as a clear response to NATO operations, the report explained that a song, dedicated to "brother" Karadzic, says:  "They offer us a fortune to give you away.. They distribute leaflets with your photo.  No money in no time would make us give away Radovan.  Radovan, you will be free, they (NATO) cannot stay here eternally."  The dispatch quoted an SFOR spokesman saying the NATO-led force is aware of such "provocative" lyrics.  "It is a difficult issue for anyone to comment on, because freedom of speech is one of the things that every democracy has legislated for," the spokesman reportedly said.

 GEORGIA

¨         Tbilisi's Prime news, Aug. 25,  reported that Deputy Defense minister Bezhuashvili had announced that Georgia intends to start talks with Ukraine and the Czech Republic on developing an air defense system.  He reportedly noted that the development of an air defense system required a great deal of money, which Georgia currently did not have.  But, he added, there is one air defense project "which could turn out to be a free gift for Georgia." Bezhuashvili was further quoted saying that the development of an air defense system in Georgia was discussed during a recent visit to the country by DSACEUR, Gen. Stöckmann.

¨         Moscow's Interfax quotes Maj. Gen. Shervashidze, Georgia's Interior Troops commander, saying Monday that Tbilisi's special operation to normalize the situation in the Pankisi gorge is proceeding successfully.  "Ten interior troops checkpoints will operate in the gorge and they will be manned with Security and Interior Ministries' officials. They will be responsible for dealing with detained offenders," he reportedly said, adding that mobile patrol groups will be set up soon. The BBC World Service observed that despite a Russian denial, a White House spokesman said the U.S. was "deeply concerned about credible reports that Russian military aircraft indiscriminately bombed villages in northern Georgia" last Friday.  Based on the spokesman's remarks, the Christian Science Monitor concludes that the free hand given to Russia to prosecute its own "war on terrorism"- the on-going fight against Chechen separatists-is now being slapped by Washington.  The newspaper highlights that America's stake in Georgia is not small:  U.S. Special Operations units have been helping train and equip Georgian forces since May, in a $64 million program to enable them to establish control over the lawless Pankisi Gorge. 

IRAQ

¨         Prominent figures in President Bush's Republican party continue to debate the possibility of a U.S. attack on Iraq, with James Baker, who was secretary of state to the first President Bush, supporting an attack but arguing against a go-alone approach.  Writing in the New York Times, Baker argues that peace-loving nations have a moral responsibility to fight against the development and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.  But, changing the Iraqi leadership will require substantial forces and substantial time to put those forces in place to move. The costs, politically, economically and in terms of casualties, could be great.  They will be lessened if the president brings together an international coalition, writes Baker.  He also urges Bush to seek a UN Security Council resolution authorizing new, intrusive weapons inspections in Iraq.  If defied, it would provide legal justification and political cover for an attack, he says. CNN and the BBC World Service remarked that Baker is the latest in a series of prominent U.S. officials who have warned Bush against unilateral military action to topple Saddam Hussein.

AFGHANISTAN

¨         Italian daily Il Giornale, Aug. 25, wrote that as Defense Minister Martino had anticipated and Prime Minister Berlusconi recently confirmed, the United States has asked for about 1,000 Italian troops to be put at the disposal of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which leads the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan.  The newspaper remarked that typical operations performed by CENTCOM include anti-guerrilla operations, interdiction, and offensive patrols.  It stressed that these missions are very different from those approved by the Italian parliament in connection with the participation of Italian troops to the operations in Afghanistan.