Military

NATO

¨         NATO is weighing the redeployment of naval forces from the eastern to the western Mediterranean in order to increase protection for civilian shipping from terrorist threats, Germany's defense minister said on Saturday. The alliance is considering the move to combat what it sees as a higher risk of attacks on shipping in the western Mediterranean than further east, Peter Struck said during a visit to German forces based in the small Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti as part of the international war on terrorism. Struck said ships currently based in Cyprus could be moved to Gibraltar, although he stressed that no decision had been taken on the redeployment. The considerations had nothing to do with a possible war in Iraq, he said.(AP 141545 Dec 02 GMT)

BALKANS

¨         NATO formally replaced its mission in Macedonia (sic)  on Saturday with a new, smaller peacekeeping force to maintain stability in the Balkan republic, shaken last year by an ethnic Albanian rebellion. "Now, with the crisis behind us, we can say to Task Force Fox -- mission accomplished," Macedonian (sic)  President Boris Trajkovski said during a ceremony to mark the end of the current mission at a NATO base in Bunardzik, near Skopje.  About 450 soldiers will be deployed in Macedonia (sic)  under the flag of the new force, called "Allied Harmony".  The mission will provide security for the monitors and also help the Macedonian army with reforms.  The new mission has a six-month mandate, but officials will hold a review in February to see whether the EU can take over, if its Rapid Reaction Force is ready.(Reuters 1748 141202 GMT)

IRAQ

¨         The United Nations has asked Germany to supply unmanned spy planes to assist the weapons inspectors in Iraq, the Defense Ministry said on Sunday. A decision on whether to supply the LUNA drones and the technicians needed to maintain them will likely be taken in the coming week, a ministry spokesman said on customary condition of anonymity.(AP 151642 Dec  02 GMT)

MISSILE DEFENSE

¨         Britain's Defense Ministry said on Saturday there had been no formal U.S. approach to use British bases for its "Son of Star Wars" missile defense project despite media expectations such a request was imminent. Britain's Guardian newspaper said Washington had already made the request, which would be announced by Defense Secretary Hoon on Tuesday. The BBC said such an approach would be made within days. "We've not received any formal request from the Americans and it is up to them to decide if and when they make such a request," a Defense Ministry spokeswoman said.  She also said that if such a request was made, it was by no means a foregone conclusion that Britain would acquiesce. "The defense minister said last week in parliament that the UK would only agree to this if it was in the best interests of the United Kingdom."(Reuters 2144 141202 GMT)

OTHER NEWS

¨         Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis said on Sunday a peace deal on the divided island of Cyprus was possible by the end of February, the latest timeframe presented to Greek and Turkish Cypriots by the United Nations.  The EU failed to clinch a deal between the two sides at a summit in Copenhagen last week and invited the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government to join in 2004.  UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has asked Cyprus's rival leaders to sign a letter of intent committing themselves to negotiating an accord by February 28, 2003.  Asked by CNN Turk television if he saw a settlement by then, Yakis said: "There will probably be an agreement." "If the sides can reach an agreement by February 28, internally there will be two sides, externally there will be one Cyprus," Yakis said.  "If an agreement can't be reached, the Greek Cypriot side...will become the only one representing the whole island."(Reuters 1425 151202 GMT)