Military

SHAPE News Morning Update

20 January 2003

WAR ON TERRORISM

Osama bin Laden has issued a new statement urging Muslims to bury their differences and unite to fight the "external enemy", according to a report published in a leading London-based Arabic newspaper on Sunday. The paper, Asharq Al-Awsat, said bin Laden had issued the statement in a letter via the Centre for Islamic Research and Studies in Pakistan. It said the letter was obtained by its journalist Mohamed el-Shaf'aie. The letter, written in Arabic, was 26 pages long and signed by bin Laden, the paper said, adding that fundamentalist sources in London had told el-Shaf'aie that, although the letter was undated, it was written a few weeks ago. Asharq Al-Awsat is Saudi-owned and describes itself as an Arab independent newspaper. It is widely read and respected in the Middle East. No one at Asharq Al-Awsat was available for comment. (Reuters 192315 GMT Jan 03)

AFGHANISTAN

Germany and the Netherlands will take command of the international security force in Afghanistan on Feb. 10 for six months, the German Defense Ministry said Friday in Berlin. The ministry said German Defense Minister Peter Struck and his Dutch counterpart Henk Kamp will attend a handover ceremony Feb. 10 in Kabul. (AP 172135 Jan 03)

IRAQ

Bush administration officials on Sunday supported the idea of a exile "haven" for senior Iraqi leaders, and they said a "last phase" in the Iraqi crisis was near that would determine its willingness to disarm and avoid war. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he would be "delighted" if Iraqi President Saddam Hussein departed to exile or was stripped of the protection of Iraqis who surround him under a proposal to grant amnesty to top Iraqi officials if they help dislodge him. Asked on ABC's "This Week" program whether the United States would be willing to give Saddam immunity from war crimes prosecution, he said "If -- to avoid a war, I would ... recommend that some provision be made so that the senior leadership in that country and their families could be provided haven in some other country." Secretary of State Colin Powell, asked on CBS's "Face the Nation" program about a Saudi initiative to grant amnesty to senior Iraqi leaders as a way to step up pressure on Saddam to step aside, said "I would encourage Saddam Hussein, if he is getting any messages of this kind, to listen." (Reuters 191830 GMT Jan 03)

NATO Secretary-General George Robertson said on Friday that he expected Germany to back proposed indirect assistance by the alliance in case of a U.S.-led war on Iraq despite Berlin's opposition to war. "I expect that Germany will deliver on the commitment it made with the other 18 (NATO) governments in Prague to commit themselves to effective action in support of the UN Security Council," Lord Robertson told a news conference at NATO's European military headquarters. He said a number of proposals had been put forward in the North Atlantic Council for "normal, prudent, deterrent, defensive planning" in case of a war with Iraq. (Reuters 171338 GMT Jan 03)

Chief UN arms inspectors hold a second round of showdown talks with Iraq on Monday, warning Baghdad that time was running out to provide full cooperation despite promises of more information on some issues. Washington on Sunday issued one of its clearest warnings yet to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein that non-cooperation with UN inspectors could be deemed a trigger for a war in the absence of a "smoking gun" or hard evidence of weapons of mass destruction - and that a decision could be just weeks away. (Reuters 200239 GMT Jan 03)

NATO

U.S. Marine Corps General James Jones took over on Friday as NATO's top commander, a job that looks set to start with preparing the alliance to provide Washington with military backup in case of a war with Iraq. He was sworn in as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) during a ceremony at NATO's military headquarters outside of Mons. NATO Secretary-General George Robertson said Gen. Jones, who grew up in Europe and speaks fluent French, was well qualified for his new job, having "one foot in Europe and one foot in the United States, a bridge across the Atlantic." (Reuters 171610 GMT Jan 03)

The number of Swedes opposed to NATO membership rose compared to last year, a survey released on Sunday has found. Polling institute Sifo said 53 percent of the 1,000 people it polled during Jan. 13-16 don't think Sweden, which has not fought a war since 1815, should join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Sweden's government has said nothing about joining. While officially neutral, Sweden does participate in some NATO military exercises. (AP 191409 Jan 03)

BALKANS

In a diplomatic effort this week, the Bush administration is seeking to persuade Yugoslavia and Bosnia to arrest and hand over two prime suspects long wanted by the UN war crimes tribunal. U.S. Ambassador Pierre-Richard Prosper will warn the Balkan countries that they never will achieve full international acceptance as long as Karadzic and Mladic remain on the loose years after their indictments. (AP 181821 Jan 03)

President Boris Trajkovski on Saturday officially asked the European Union to take over a NATO-led peacekeeping operation in this troubled Balkan country. "I invite you to take the necessary measures to enable the taking over by the European Union of the military mission currently implemented by NATO in Macedonia (sic)," read the note, broadcast on A1 private television. (AP 181931 Jan 03)