Military

SHAPE News Morning Update

31 July 2003

NATO

• Spain’s foreign minister, visiting Poland as Spanish troops prepare to join a Polish-led peacekeeping mission to Iraq, said Wednesday that she sees no problem in principle with NATO taking a role in the country. Involvement in Iraq by the alliance is a matter that “NATO has to discuss and the debate is growing,” Ana Palacio told a news conference after meeting with her Polish counterpart, Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz. “NATO is no longer bound by a regional approach, so why not,” she said. “There is no obstacle for NATO to have involvement in Iraq.” Foreign Minister Cimoszewicz said his talks with Palacio concerned “non-military aspects” of the mission. (AP 301704 Jul 03)

IRAQ

• After weeks of struggling to choose a leader, Iraq’s U.S.-picked interim government named its first president on Wednesday - a Shiite Muslim from a party banned by Saddam Hussein. U.S. troops, meanwhile, pressed the hunt for the ousted dictator and officers said it was “just a matter of time” before he is caught. Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a Shiite Muslim and chief spokesman for the Islamic Dawa Party was picked to be the first of nine men who will serve one-month stints to lead post-war Iraq. He will hold the presidency in August. After the council met in Baghdad, a member lashed out at Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa for failing to recognize the interim government’s authority. He said the council would not send representatives to the Cairo, Egypt-based organization. Moussa, in a CNN television interview at the United Nations, stood by his assessment of the council, saying it was “a step in the right direction” but not representative of the Iraqi people. It was unclear whether he knew of the council’s decision to boycott the Arab League. (AP 302125 Jul 03)
  
  
• Many nations want UN authority on the U.S.-led operation in Iraq before they commit troops, and Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he would support a new UN resolution to help pull the necessary nations together. The fact that U.S. administration officials are even thinking about giving the UN a military role in Iraq represents a major turnaround in U.S. attitudes toward the world body. (AP 310125 Jul 03)

AFGHANISTAN

• Long-awaited reforms at the Afghan defence ministry to pave the way for the disarmament of tens of thousands of unruly factional fighters will be announced in coming days, President Hamid Karzai said on Wednesday in Kabul. Speaking at the opening of a two-day security symposium in Kabul, President Karzai said that Defence Minister Mohammad Fahim Qasim “will announce in the coming days” reforms which are expected to include the replacement of senior officials. His comments coincided with a visit from General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gen. Myers held talks with Minister Fahim and then President Karzai in the afternoon after visiting U.S. military forces based in the country. He did not speak to reporters after the meetings, but President Karzai’s spokesman said he had expressed satisfaction about the imminent reforms. (Reuters 301537 GMT Jul 03)

EU

• Turkey passed a landmark legal reform on Wednesday to curb the political influence of its powerful military, a step Ankara says should win it membership talks with the European Union next year. The European Union welcomed the reform as “very positive,” but stressed implementation would be the key test. The latest reform could raise tension between Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) government and the army. The package strips the military-dominated National Security Council (MGK) of its executive powers and turns it into an advisory body. It also abolishes some anti-terror laws. (Reuters 301740 GMT Jul 03)

BALKANS

• The country’s top military committee on Wednesday dismissed several top commanders as part of a shake-up to improve security, discipline and loyalty to the pro-democracy government, a senior army officer said in Belgrade. Among those dismissed by the Supreme Defense Council, comprised of the presidents of Serbia and Montenegro and top defense officials, was Gen. Radoslav Skoric, head of the army’s security service, said the officer, on condition of anonymity. Also retired were “about a dozen generals once loyal to Slobodan Milosevic,” the officer said. As the committee met late on Tuesday, Defense Minister Boris Tadic said that the names of dismissed generals would be made public “in a week or so.” (AP 301538 Jul 03)

OTHER NEWS

• The commander of the U.S. Central Command arrived in Amman on Wednesday in an official visit to the kingdom, a U.S. Embassy statement said. Gen. John Abizaid was expected to meet with senior Jordanian officials on Thursday. The statement provided no other details. (AP 301706 Jul 03)
  
  
• The United States introduced a UN resolution on Wednesday that would authorize a multinational force for Liberia, preparing the ground for any American deployment in the West African country. It also paves the way for a UN peacekeeping force to take over in October. (Reuters 310029 GMT Jul 03)