Military

SHAPE News Summary & Analysis

16 May 2003

NATO

• Quoting unidentified Alliance sources, Bucharest’s Mediafax, May 13, reported that NATO has begun a strategic evaluation before deciding whether it would establish some of its bases in Romania. According to the report, the sources said NATO experts are examining several alternatives among which that of establishing one or several military bases or a command center in Romania.

An op-ed in the Wall Street Journal remarks that the possible redeployment of troops from Germany to lighter bases further east brings the U.S. closer to where the security threats are today. “The move makes military sense, but politics matters as well,” says the newspaper, adding: “The United States should put its soldiers in host countries in Europe that want them there. The problem was never with Europe, especially a European Union about to grow to 25, or with NATO, the world’s most successful military alliance in history.” Referring to opposition to the war in Iraq, the article continues: “Only a handful of countries obstructed U.S. diplomacy. The Alliance creaked, swayed and held strong; it might yet come out stronger. Thanks in part to the lobbying of Poland, the new player in European politics, NATO could be called on to keep peace in Iraq. This may not be your father’s Atlantic Alliance, but this new model looks better suited to today’s security needs.”

• Baku’s Turan, May 15, reported that the international Virtual Silk Road project was launched Thursday at the Institute for Information Technologies of the National Academy of Sciences in a ceremony attended by NATO Secretary General Robertson. The report stressed that the project will expand the exchange of information between scientific, research and educational facilities of the Central Asian and South Caucasus countries. It quoted Lord Robertson saying that Azarbaijan’s link-up to the project will enhance the country’s role in the international scientific community and help turn it into a reliable NATO partner in the region.

BELGIUM-“UNIVERSAL COMPETENCE LAW”

• According to AFP, NATO Secretary General Robertson said Thursday he was confident a war crimes suit filed this week in Belgium against the U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. Tommy Franks, would not get to court. Speaking on a visit to Azerbaijan, Lord Robertson reportedly said he was confident the courts in Belgium, armed with a recent change to the law making such cases harder to bring, would strike out the war crimes charges. “The Belgian Parliament changed its … law a few weeks ago,” Lord Robertson reportedly said, adding: “I have absolutely no doubt that the Belgian authorities will be looking at this case in the light of those changes.” The dispatch recalls that Washington has condemned the suit and warned it could prevent U.S. officials from taking part in NATO business in Brussels. A related article in De Standaard, May 15, observed that the lawsuit against Gen. Franks has once again raised the question of whether Brussels will remain an appropriate international meeting place if it starts raining complaints against leaders worldwide. The newspaper stressed that Belgian diplomats, political leaders, and business leaders are just as worried about the possible repercussions within the U.S. business world. Legal security is one of the 12 criteria that the central American Chamber of Commerce, which represents 3 million companies, uses to gauge the investment climate in various countries. As far as Belgium is concerned, there is now a question mark next to that criterion, noted the newspaper. The article expected that the new version of the law will be a millstone around the neck of the next government.

BALKANS

• NATO-led peacekeepers in Bosnia on Thursday issued a ban on the use of small rockets that are used to protect crops by preventing hailstorms, saying the devices threatened civilian passenger flights over the former Yugoslav republic, reports AFP. According to the dispatch, SFOR said it has allowed the firing of anti-hail rockets in previous years, but warned that during the past 12 months Bosnia had seen an increase in air traffic which means that “it is now a more complex matter to ensure aircraft safety.” The dispatch notes that under the Dayton accords, SFOR is responsible for the safety of Bosnia’s air space.

IRAQ

• Reuters reports that in an effort to meet objections from Security Council members, the United States has submitted a new draft of its resolution to lift sanctions against Iraq. The dispatch notes, however, that the measure still gives wide-ranging powers to the United States and Britain to run Iraq and decide how to spend its oil wealth to rebuild the country until a permanent government is established. The new draft reportedly beefs up the role of a UN envoy in Iraq, called a coordinator, but leaves most of his or her duties vague, a persistent criticism by Russia, France, Germany and others.