Military

SHAPE News Morning Update

22 January 2003

WAR ON TERRORISM

• A leading U.S. expert on terrorism is calling for the creation of a new international organization to battle the financial underpinnings of terrorism, arguing that without cash, terrorists have little way of carrying out their attacks. Matthew Levitt, a former FBI analyst who now monitors terrorism for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, on Tuesday told diplomats and other officials in Vienna that too little has been done since the Sept. 11 attacks to keep terrorists from getting money to finance their activities. He called for the foundation of a new international organization, saying the United Nations can't do that job. "Since the UN will not isolate one of their members - because it's a consensus body - I think we should have another one," he said. "The UN, no matter what it does, will not get Iran or Syria, or a host of other countries, to do something tangible to solve this problem," he added. (AP 212006 Jan 03)

IRAQ

• France, Germany, Russia and China have made clear they will not be rushed by Washington's timetable for war - and the White House must decide soon whether it is willing to go up against Saddam Hussein powerful coalition partners. "The real situation shows that inspections are going on and so the resolution is being implemented. There are some problems which are solvable and yesterday the Iraqis expressed their goodwill for further cooperation with the inspectors," Russian Deputy Ambassador Gennady Gatilov said. "I think the sense of the council is that the majority is against military action," he added. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said also on Tuesday that Germany is not ready to back any fresh UN resolution legitimizing war in Iraq and won't send any troops to fight in Iraq. (AP 212309 Jan 03)
  
  
• Amid criticism that it has fallen short on planning for a post-war Iraq, the Bush administration told Congress on Tuesday that would remain "as long as necessary" after any war to help rebuild Iraq and restore authority to the Iraqi people. "Should it become necessary ... to take military action against Iraq, the United States, together with its coalition partners, will play a role in helping to meet the humanitarian, reconstruction and administrative challenges facing the country in the immediate aftermath of a conflict," the administration said in a report to Congress. (Reuters 220109 GMT Jan 03)
  

NATO

• Poland announced cuts in spending plans for its armed forces on Tuesday due to lack of funds in the budget, saying the measure would delay Warsaw meeting commitments made to the NATO military alliance. Defence Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski said the government's armed forces modernisation programme for 2003-2008 trimmed military spending by at least US $3.5 billioncompared with previous plans. "As a result... we have to postpone meeting the goal of making two thirds of our armed forces fully compatible with NATO standards from 2006 to 2008," Szmajdzinski told reporters after discussing the programme with the president and the premier. (Reuters 212004 GMT Jan 03)

BALKANS

• Police in Sarajevo have arrested a former member of a Bosnian Serb paramilitary unit on war crimes charges, a Bosnian judge said Tuesday. Ratko Gasevic was arrested Monday on war crimes charges relating to Bosnia's 1992-95 war. He is to be tried by Bosnian courts. (AP 211935 Jan 03)

RUSSIA

• The Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that a nuclear arms reduction treaty signed by the U.S. and Russian leaders at a Moscow summit last year was on target to be ratified this spring. The treaty calls for the United States and Russia to cut their strategic nuclear arsenals to 1,700 to 2,200, down from 6,000 or more for the United States and about 5,500 for Russia. (AP 211947 Jan 03)