Military

IRAQ

¨         President Bush's announcement Monday that he believed Iraq could be disarmed peacefully and that he was willing to give diplomacy one more try was noted by international media.  CNN carried Bush saying:  "I believe the free world . can disarm (Saddam Hussein) peacefully. But if not, we have the will and the desire, as do other nations, to disarm Saddam."  A related Washington Post article stresses that Bush said his administration remained committed to "regime change in Iraq," a phase that is code for toppling the Iraqi leader.  But, it notes, he added that if Saddam were to meet all the conditions of the UN, that in itself would signal that the regime has changed. 

¨         According to Reuters, Turkish Prime Minister Ecevit said Tuesday that conflicting messages from Washington on Iraq harmed Turkey and the Bush administration should make up its mind on whether to strike Baghdad.   The dispatch suggests that Ecevit's remarks, published a day after U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Franks met with Turkish military brass to discuss Iraq, reflect Turkey's unease over a war next door that could spark economic and social turmoil at home.  "On one hand they (the Bush administration) are continuously giving an impression of a military action.  On the other hand they are saying, an intervention may not happen, we have not yet made a decision," Ecevit reportedly told Milliyet newspaper, adding:  "Turkey is affected most negatively by this contradiction. We are left in the middle and under great pressure."  According to the dispatch, he accused the United States of stoking Kurdish aspirations of statehood.  "U.S. civilians or military officials say during meetings they are opposed to a Kurdish state in north Iraq. But when we look at developments, we see north Iraq taking steps toward statehood with a boldness given by the United States," Ecevit reportedly charged.  A related article in the Washington Post observes that the United States is locked in strenuous negotiations over what role Turkey would play in a war with Iraq, a conflict that could lead Turkey to inject thousands of additional troops into the volatile Kurdish region of northern Iraq.  "Washington may recruit Turkey to police the flow of refugees and guard prisoners of war in case of a conflict with Iraq, whose northern border abuts southeastern Turkey and would be a logical escape route for defeated Iraqis.  Western diplomats and Turkish officials say that because the Turks want to keep any fleeing Iraqis on the Iraqi side of the border, the plan would require Turkey to increase its military presence in Iraq by thousands of troops.  Such an arrangement is far from being finalized.  Moreover, a generally sour outlook in Turkey about possible repercussions from the overthrow of Saddam Hussein is complicating the Turkish-U.S. talks," the newspaper comments and continues:  Gen. Franks visited Ankara Monday for talks with top Turkish military officials on a Turkish ground role in any war with Iraq, as well as use of the Incirlik Air Base.  Gen. Franks and Gen. Ralston met with Turkish Chief of Staff Gen. Ozkok, who is scheduled to visit Washington in two weeks.  The military will make the final decision on Turkey's stand.  The Americans met for three hours with Turkish officers and discussed "just about everything," a U.S. official said.  Western diplomats and Turkish officials say there will be no definitive decision on Turkey's role in Iraq until the UN Security Council votes on a resolution.  A Turkish decision may also await the results of Nov. 3  parliamentary elections in Turkey, in which Iraq emerged as a major issue. 

BALKANS

¨         AP reports that bolstered by a weekend election triumph, Montenegro's pro-independence leader, Milo Djukanovic, said he would resist international pressure to keep his tiny republic in a close union with Serbia.  "My negotiating position is stronger today than it was yesterday," Djukanovic reportedly said, referring to the Sunday victory of his Democratic Party of Socialists in parliamentary elections in Montenegro.  The dispatch notes that according to official results released Tuesday by Montenegro's election commission, Djukanovic won 39 seats in the 75-member assembly, beating a pro-Yugoslav camp led by allies of former President Milosevic that won 30 seats.   The dispatch adds that talks are expected to resume this week on the EU-brokered plan under which Serbia and Montenegro should reform their troubled federation.  A related article in The Daily Telegraph considers that voters in Montenegro have cleared the way for Yugoslavia to pass into history and spurned ultra-nationalists who sought to ditch a laboriously crafted deal to loosen links with Serbia.

OTHER NEWS

¨         According to AP, the Greek Navy said Tuesday that the Greek frigate Adrias,  patrolling in the Strait of Hormuz,  had fired warning shots at a small boat that tried to approach the warship.  The Greek Navy reportedly indicated that the incident occurred in the early morning hours of Oct. 20 just south of a strategic choke point located at the bottom of the Persian Gulf.  The small boat with two people aboard turned and fled after the incident.   The dispatch adds that the frigate has been part of U.S.-led military operations in the region following the Sept. 11 attacks.  It notes that it was under U.S. navy command at the time of the incident.