Military

SHAPE News Summary & Analysis

2 September 2003

ESDP

• According to Reuters, diplomats said in Brussels Monday a compromise might be in sight in a battle between European countries over proposals for an EU military headquarters independent of NATO that have angered the United States. Belgium reportedly said it would not back down from a proposal--agreed with France, Germany and Luxembourg on April 29--to set an EU planning and command staff for operations in which NATO is not involved. But, opening the door to a compromise with those EU countries supporting stronger links between Europe and America, Foreign Minister Michel welcomed a British counter-proposal for an EU planning cell within the Alliance. The dispatch notes that Britain’s proposal for a planning cell at SHAPE was discussed by officials from the 25 current and future members of the EU at brainstorming talks on the EU’s defense policy in Rome last Friday. It quotes diplomats saying a minority supported the proposal for a separate headquarters in Tervuren outside Brussels. But a large number, including future EU members, backed setting an EU cell within SHAPE. The dispatch recalls that current EU president Italy, which went into the Rome meeting in support of the British idea, will brief foreign ministers on the issue at a Lake Garda meeting this Friday.

IRAQ

• France hailed U.S. readiness to consider allowing a UN force in Iraq as progress on Monday but insisted that Washington must also step aside to allow Iraqis to run their country with UN help, reports Reuters. The dispatch adds that, discussing reports that Washington was considering handing security over to a UN-mandated force if the commander was an American, Foreign Minister de Villepin told an interview that “this formula presents a step forward compared to the present situation.” The important point for France, he reportedly observed, is the affirmation of Iraqi sovereignty and the true affirmation of the place of the UN, which should play a central role. According to the dispatch, de Villepin predicted that “things should go better rather quickly” once the UN gave a mandate to a multinational force.

An op-ed in the International Herald Tribune argues that NATO can provide the force Iraq needs.
“The occupation force in Iraq should be replaced by an international force whose presence in Iraq is authorized by the UN…. NATO could provide this force,” the newspaper insists and adds: “As public opinion in most of the allied countries was opposed to the war without UN authority, allied heads of government could only contemplate NATO involvement provided it received a clear UN Security Council mandate. Also, because NATO is an Alliance of 19 sovereign nations, any decision has to be unanimous, and that is why the U.S. administration has not requested it. But there is a practical solution. The commander of allied troops in Europe … has always been an American general. The present incumbent is Gen. James Jones…, whose headquarters (is at SHAPE). This headquarters organization would enable him to command any allocated NATO force to be deployed in Iraq. Gen. Jones reports to the (NAC), on which all member countries are represented, and which would exercise political and strategic control. The U.S. administration would therefore have to accept an international authority responsible for directing military operations in Iraq. This is not an insuperable obstacle, however. Not only does the United States have a powerful voice in the (NAC), but a parallel U.S. chain of command exists…. As well as his NATO post, Gen. Jones is (commander) of the U.S. European Command…. This system has worked well in past operations, such as in Bosnia and Kosovo, and could be equally effective for Iraq. As the United States would provide the bulk of the force and equipment, the local commander of the NATO forces actually deployed in the country could also be expected to be an American general.”

News that U.S. forces have postponed the handover of the Iraqi town of Najaf to Polish troops is noted by The Independent. The newspaper says Defense Ministry sources in Warsaw confirmed Monday that the city will remain under U.S. command in the aftermath of the car bomb attack on Friday that left more than 100 dead. The article suggests that America’s decision not to hand over Najaf to Polish control will widen the split in public opinion about the war in one of America’s staunchest European allies. Critics of the war have warned that a silent majority of Poles oppose military involvement in Iraq, the newspaper asserts.

ISAF

• AP quotes an ISAF spokeswoman saying Afghan authorities supported by international peacekeepers arrested several suspected terrorists and criminals in Kabul Monday. The arrested people were suspected of “terrorist and criminal activities,” against the Afghan people and ISAF, the spokeswoman reportedly said. According to the dispatch, she could not specify how many arrests were made, nor identify the suspects. Nor would she say what evidence the authorities had found that led them to believe the suspects were planning or had taken part in terrorist activities or criminal acts. ISAF would also not say where the suspects were being held or by whom.
  
  
• According to AP, Afghan President Karzai Monday approved long-delayed reforms to the structure of the Defense Ministry and said he wanted 22 top posts filled within two weeks. The dispatch quotes Karzai’s spokesman saying a selection team comprising representatives from the President’s office, the Defense Ministry and the international community would choose from a minimum of four candidates for each post. The dispatch recalls that Defense Minister Fahim, an ethnic Tajik, has resisted changes to the Ministry that would reduce his power. It adds, however, that despite calls for Fahim’s removal, it does not appear that the reforms include a new minister.

GREECE-DEFENSE

• AP reports Eurocopter, the helicopter division of European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co., said Monday it had received a $716 million order to supply the Greek army with 20 NH90 heavy twin-engined helicopters. Eurocopter said Greece’s Defense Ministry also took option for 14 additional NH 90 helicopters. The firm order includes 16 tactical transport versions of the NH90 and four models designed for special operations, according to the dispatch.