Military

SHAPE News Morning Update

30 September 2003

IRAQ

• Old rifts over Iraq on Monday continued to plague efforts to forge a joint European Union position on when the United States should cede power to an independent Iraqi government. At a monthly meeting of EU foreign ministers, France and Britain highlighted the differences on timing, with Paris wanting to see a new government in place by year's end, even a temporary one. Britain aligned itself with the United States and Britain's European Minister Denis MacShane, sitting in for Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, said any transition timetable should be carefully thought out to avoid risks of failure. Germany, too, did not want to be pinned down on a date just yet. The EU foreign ministers asked foreign policy chief Javier Solana to develop proposals on an "enhanced EU role in Iraq," including the possible dispatch of peacekeepers. France expected the United States to circulate a revised U.N. resolution Tuesday. Dutch Foreign Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said a lot of work remained to be done to get consensus on Iraq both in Europe and at the U.N. (AP 291600 Sep 03)
  
  
• More than 30 U.N. international staff pulled out of Iraq over the weekend after the U.N. chief ordered additional staff cutbacks due to security concerns, leaving just 50 foreign employees behind, a U.N. spokesman said Monday. In announcing the latest cutbacks last week, Eckhard said the United Nation's humanitarian work should be able to continue, with limited international supervision, using the 4,233 Iraqis working for the United Nations. But Annan has indicated that if security is not improved, he might not be able to allow the return of international staff in the numbers needed to oversee more than the minimum humanitarian needs, and a larger U.N. role possibly helping with a new constitution and elections would be out of the question. (AP 300506 Sep 03)
  
  
• Syria has heard U.S. accusations about supporting terrorism and other charges but received no concrete sign of military threats from the United States, Syrian President Bashar Assad told an Italian newspaper, adding that the accusations do not worry him. In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Assad reiterated that his country would consider sending peacekeeping forces to Iraq if the United Nations assumes control of its war-ravaged neighbor. U.S. officials accuse Syria of pursuing weapons of mass destruction and of supporting terrorist groups. U.S. officials have also recently renewed charges that Syria is allowing militants to cross into Iraq to kill U.S. soldiers. Damascus denies the charges. "Aside from the accusations ... we have not had any tangible sign of military threats," Assad said in an interview published Sunday on the paper's Web site. On the weapons of mass destruction charges, Assad said, "The answer is at the U.N. Security Council, where is pending a resolution to rid the entire Middle East of weapons of mass destruction." (AP 291823 Sep 03)

AFGHANISTAN

• Facing a renewed call for help from Afghan President Hamid Karzai, NATO military experts presented plans Monday for expanding the alliance's peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan to cities beyond the capital. Details of the military plans were not released and it was unclear when the alliance would take a final decision on whether to extend the force of 5,000 whose mandate is current limited to Kabul. NATO officials have declined to speculate on how many extra troops will be needed if the force expands beyond Kabul. Diplomats at NATO headquarters said the plans likely to be adopted by the alliance would focus on urban areas, aiming to duplicate ISAF's relative success in Kabul by helping bring order to provincial cities. (AP 291630 Sep 03)

LIBERIA

• Deeming its mission has "largely been accomplished," the Pentagon is moving three warships away from Liberia as the United States winds down its role in the peacekeeping operation, officials said on Monday. There are about 100 U.S. troops on the ground in Liberia, most stationed to provide security at the U.S. Embassy in the capital Monrovia and "a handful" working in coordination with Ecomil peacekeepers from West African nations, one official said. "Since our mission was to facilitate Ecomil efforts to stabilize Monrovia and create conditions for humanitarian relief efforts to resume, that mission has largely been accomplished," said Lt. Dan Hetlage, a Pentagon spokesman. (Reuters 292012 GMT Sep 03)