Military

NATO

¨         The United States has agreed to deploy its fighters to help guard Czech air space during the forthcoming summit of the NATO alliance in the central European country, the U.S. Embassy in Prague said on Saturday.     "U.S. Ambassador Craig Stapleton met November 1 with various representatives of the Czech government to confirm the U.S. government decision to provide CAP (Combat Air Patrol) air defense support during the NATO summit," the U.S. Embassy said in a statement.(Reuters1722 021102 Nov 02 GMT)

BALKANS

¨         The United States welcomed the formation of a new multiethnic coalition government in Macedonia (sic)  and urged it to continue toward full democracy. "Building on September's peaceful fair elections, the smooth formation of the new government reaffirms Macedonia's (sic) positive orientation on the past of Euro-Atlantic integration," State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said on Friday. Reeker said the new government should advance "reforms that strengthen Macedonia (sic)'s multiethnic democratic institutions and market economy," Reeker said. "The United States will continue to support Macedonia (sic)  in all of these efforts." Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage met Friday with Macedonian (sic)  Ambassador Nikola Dimitrov, Albanian Ambassador Fatos Tarifa and Croatian Ambassador Ivan Grdesic. Armitage "reiterated U.S. support for their aspirations to join NATO," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.(AP 020155 Nov 02 GMT)

IRAQ

¨         Britain is about to call up thousands of reservists to prepare for possible war on Iraq and may make the announcement later on Monday, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported. The paper said the heads of military units involved in the call-up had been summoned to a meeting on Monday at the Ministry of Defense, and Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon might announce the call-up during questions in parliament later in the day.  A spokeswoman at the ministry said no decision had been made for any call-up or mobilization and she was not aware of any planned meeting of heads of military units. The Telegraph said the initial call-up would include logistics staff, signals reservists and special forces, followed by up to 10,000 other troops. The Telegraph said the government would issue a rare "Queen's Order" -- a measure not taken since the Korean War half a century ago -- which limits the rights of reservists and their employers to appeal to avoid the call-up.(Reuters 0113 041102 Nov 02 GMT)

¨         Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it would not allow the United States to use its facilities for any attack against neighboring Iraq even if a strike was sanctioned by the United Nations.  "We will abide by the decision of the United Nations Security Council and we will cooperate with the Security Council. But as to entering the conflict or using facilities... that is something else," Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said. Saud said there was no crisis in ties between the U.S. and the kingdom.  Mary Matalin, counselor to Vice-President Cheney, told CNN's "Late Edition" program following Saud's comments that the United States had many other allies it could depend on.(Reuters 2017 031102 Nov 02 GMT)

¨         Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, the head of Turkey'' military, is to leave Monday for a weeklong visit to the United States, where he is to hold talks with top U.S. officials on a possible military operation against neighboring Iraq, the military said. Ozkok is to meet in Washington with officials from the Pentagon, White House, and State Department to discuss military cooperation and regional development, the military said Saturday in a statement. He is also expected to visit the Tampa, Florida-based Central Command, which is in charge of military operations in Europe and the Middle East, during his visit that ends Sunday. Ozkok was invited by Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the statement said.(AP 021111 Nov 02 GMT)

OTHER NEWS

¨         Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Kostadin Paskalev on Friday resigned from the government of  ex-king Simeon Saxe-Coburg, a step which diplomats and analysts said would not threaten the government's stability. Western diplomats and commentators said Paskalev's resignation would neither rock the government nor hurt Bulgaria's chances to win an invitation to join NATO at a summit in Prague later this month. "This resignation means nothing. It's a personal thing and will not impact Bulgaria's NATO bid or lead to other ministers' resignations and instability," a Western diplomat told Reuters.  Commentator Krassen Stanchev said: "I do not expect it to trigger a major government reshuffle neither affect the decision in Prague. It is certain that the government would not collapse before Prague."(Reuters 1207 011102 Nov 02 GMT)