Military

SHAPE News Summary & Analysis

19 November 2003

NATO

• Athens To Vima, Nov. 16, claimed it had been told by U.S. sources at NATO that the Olympic Games in Athens would be held under NATO’s umbrella. “Despite the fact that the Greek government had not submitted any request the sources believe that, ultimately, Athens will be forced to ask for NATO support in order to protect the Olympic Games against all kinds of threats,” the newspaper said. Against this background, the newspaper explained NATO’s transformation, observing that “the threat of terrorism is now dictating NATO’s actions and decisions.” The article said: “This has been made clear by the plans for the new NATO, now in the process of implementation. The plans include facing the threat of terrorism at its roots by deploying NATO forces thousands of kilometers away from the heart of the Alliance. The (NRF) is the basic instrument of the new NATO. It is a flexible military force, with the participation of all its members, which will remain at a high level of readiness in order to intervene wherever needed. The force will include land, naval, and air force units and will alternate its personnel every six months. In addition, the members of the force will undergo a six-month period of preparation. The NRF … will not simply aim to fight terrorism. (NATO) officers intend that it will undertake any kind of mission that falls within NATO’s framework of operations. The United States does not hide the fact that it wants this force to become a model of how to develop the European armies in the immediate future. It also expresses its satisfaction with the fact that the Greek armed forces are acquiring a lighter and more flexible structure. The success of the NATO meeting in Istanbul next June is the short-term objective. At that meeting, final steps will be taken to widen the Alliance to seven new countries…. In addition, NATO wants to strengthen its defense cooperation with the countries of the Mediterranean and North Africa regions that are currently participating in the Mediterranean Dialogue…. NATO is therefore expanding not only eastward but also toward the south, near the volatile Middle East region. Since the official assumption by NATO of command operations in Afghanistan, the United States believes that new momentum has been created for a substantial Alliance involvement in Iraq as well.”
  
  
• Le Figaro carries an interview with NATO Secretary General on the occasion of his farewell visit to France. Speaking before talks with President Chirac, Lord Robertson was quoted saying he would thank the president for France’s support during his four years at the head of the Alliance. “France has been a first class ally in all NATO operations, not only in the Balkans, but also in Afghanistan where it has deployed 500 troops. France has also pledged an important contribution to the (NRF)…. It must pursue this course,” he reportedly said. Lord Robertson is further quoted saying his second message will concern the Berlin Plus accords. “These accords, which give the EU automatic and unconditional access to NATO assets, notably planning, are very good for the Europeans. They represent a remarkable tool to help them realize their ambitions in the field of security and defense, in Europe or in Africa,” he reportedly insisted.
  
  
• According to AFP, the Chairman of the German Parliament’s Defense Committee, Reinhold Robbe, said Wednesday that NATO troops, possibly including a German contingent, should be deployed to Israel to keep the peace in the Middle East. “The situation in the Middle East is so messed up that the two sides can’t manage to agree on their own any more. Both sides need a perspective, a military presence,” Robbe reportedly told the on-line edition of the news magazine Der Spiegel. According to the dispatch, he noted that as U.S. troops were already heavily engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan, the only military option left was NATO. Pointing to the success of the Alliance’s past mission in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, he reportedly insisted: “NATO must go to Israel…. It will happen.”

IRAQ

• The Washington Post reports that according to U.S. officials and European and UN diplomats, the United States is preparing to seek another UN resolution to back it new plan for Iraq and ensure that the first postwar Iraqi government does not fail for lack of international recognition. U.S. officials are quoted saying a new resolution could also help win commitments for additional troops and reconstruction aid from other countries, which Washington has been unable to secure in three previous resolutions. In addition, it might lead to a renewed U.N. role in Iraq in helping oversee the selection of a new provisional government.