Military

SHAPE News Summary & Analysis

30 April 2003

ESDP

Several media reported on the results of the defense summit held yesterday in Brussels by the leaders of Belgium, France, Germany and Luxembourg. The summit, nicknamed by many as a “mini summit” for its limited participation, can nevertheless have significant implications in the future of transatlantic relations and also within Europe. The four countries that attended the summit, writes AFP, called on Tuesday for a new European headquarters to command military operations independent of NATO, although President Chirac and his partners from Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg, stressed they did not want to undermine the U.S.-European alliance or the 19-nation military bloc. But, the news agency argues, the proposals made at the summit have indeed the potential to provoke disquiet in Washington and London. In particular, the dispatch adds, talk of a new “European Security and Defense Union” (ESDU) could be viewed with suspicion in other EU capitals. A joint statement issued by the four leaders says that the ESDU would “gather those members states that are ready to go faster and further in strengthening their defense cooperation.” Such development, the report notes, raises the prospect of a TWO-SPEED Europe as the EU struggles to forge a common foreign and security policy. Furthermore, the four leaders reportedly instructed their defense ministers to “take the necessary steps to establish, not later than 2004, a multinational deployable force headquarters for joint operations.” The EU, the dispatch points out, is already setting up a 60,000-strong “Rapid Reaction Force” in partnership with NATO. Belgian Prime Minister Verhofstadt joined Chancellor Schröder in insisting the four countries’ initiative was open to the rest of the EU, after criticism of the summit by Britain, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. The Independent speculates that the agreement to form a planning and command center for European military operations separate from NATO - although watered down from the original Belgian plan for a fully fledged EU military headquarters – will inevitably be presented in America, and by some in Britain, as part of a long-term strategy to undermine the western Alliance. President Chirac reportedly replied to Prime Minister Blair’s criticism in an interview to the Financial Times on Monday, which accused France of wanting a “multi-polar” world, that the world is inevitably multi-polar and what he wanted, like Prime Minister Blair, was a partnership with America based on equality and respect. A related article carried by the Financial Times, reports that Secretary of State Powell was critical of what he called “some kind of plan” to create a new EU military headquarters in Brussels. He reportedly said that what was needed was more military capabilities, not more headquarters. Of the four nations involved only France, the newspaper finally argued, has significantly increased its defense budget. Le Soir writes that the Belgian Prime Minister explains that this headquarters should be operational in the 2004 summer and based in a barracks at Tervueren. It will be able to plan and conduct military operations when NATO or the European structure of the Alliance do not want to intervene or when – and this could be very sensitive, adds the newspaper, the EU wants to intervene without NATO. The Brussels declaration, concludes the daily, do not contain what Belgium hoped: the names of officers and the contribution from the four countries. Moreover, The Daily Telegraph reports that a new Rapid Reaction Force will be built around the existing Franco-German brigade, taking in Belgian commandos and units from Luxembourg. It would answer to the headquarters to be established at Tervueren.

IRAQ

• Prime Minister Blair and President Putin failed to resolve their deep differences over Iraq yesterday, when the Russian President openly mocked the failure of the U.S. and Britain to find Saddam or his alleged weapons of mass destruction, writes The Independent. President Putin rejected American and British demands for an early lifting of the sanctions against Iraq until there was proof of the existence of the weapons of mass destruction that justified the war according to the Allies. President Putin also stressed the importance to have the UN play a key role in the reconstruction of Iraq and called for UN inspectors to return to the country and for the food-for-oil program to be expanded. And kept under UN control. According to an AFP dispatch, President Chirac said is willing to discuss ways in which NATO could play a role in post-war Iraq, but this would firstly require a UN Security Council resolution. Another AFP dispatch reports a Polish daily quoting a NATO source according to which there is a U.S. plan to divide Iraq into five administrative zones, one of which could be managed by Poland. Furthermore, Polish companies would also take part in the reconstruction of Iraq under a proposal made by Washington. On Tuesday, adds the dispatch, The Polish Defense Minister said the U.S. had indicated that it may be prepared to fund Poland sending troops to help secure peace in Iraq. In what is seen as a signal of the end of a rift with the U.S. over the Iraq war, Canada offered police, prison and legal experts, engineers and transport planes on Tuesday to help in the post-war reconstruction efforts, reports AP.

U.S. TROOP REDEPLOYMENT

• The Times writes that by the summer U.S. military personnel will have completely redeployed from Saudi Arabia to neighboring Qatar, announcing a profound shift in American influence and strategy throughout the Middle East. But, observes the newspaper, the pullout has limited military significance since the U.S. has bases in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar. The Pentagon, the daily adds, is looking at four airbases in Iraq where American forces could retain a semi-permanent presence.

NATO

• AFP reports that Russia and five former Soviet republics established a joint command for a Rapid Reaction Force to deal with security in Central Asia. “The Alliance welcomes any measures stepping up regional cooperation, be it within the Partnership for Peace program or outside it,” DSACEUR, Adm. Feist, reportedly stated on Tuesday. The joint command was announced after a summit of leaders of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which make up the Collective Security Treaty Organization (DKB) established in 1992 to enhance cooperation on shared security threats. Adm. Feist, who met with Armenia’s President, Defense Minister and Foreign Minister, also hailed Armenia’s efforts in cooperating with NATO. During his talks with Armenian officials, Adm. Feist also discussed military exercises planned for June.