Military

SHAPE News Morning Update

04 March 2004

NATO

• Secretary of State Colin Powell plans to travel to NATO headquarters in Brussels in April to join allied foreign ministers in marking the entry of seven former Soviet bloc countries into the strategic alliance. NATO issued a formal invitation to the seven nations on Tuesday after all the allies ratified the membership protocols, and invited Russia to attend as well. (AP 040003 Mar 04)

AFGHANISTAN

• Military commanders from the NATO allies will meet within the next two weeks to raise forces for an expanded alliance peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan, officials said Wednesday in Brussels. The aim is to provide troops to support civilian reconstruction efforts in five northern cities. Officials declined to give figures on how many extra troops would be needed. (AP 031643 Mar 04)

GREATER MIDDLE EAST INITIATIVE

• An EU envoy said on Wednesday it would be hard to achieve reform in the Arab world without progress on Middle East peace, contradicting the U.S. view that the two processes can go forward independently of one another. “The peace process always has to be at the centre of whatever initiative is in the field,” said EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana in Cairo when asked about U.S. proposals for democratic reforms in Arab states. A draft copy of the U.S. Greater Middle East Initiative seen by the Reuters news agency shows the proposals focus on solving the region’s political, economic and social problems without mentioning the Arab-Israeli conflict, which Arabs say lies at the heart of the region’s woes. (Reuters 032209 GMT Mar 04)

OTHER NEWS

• The UN intends to hire “a top tier security firm” to provide security services for the world body’s global operations, following a highly critical report that blamed “dysfunctional” UN security for unnecessary casualties in the Aug. 19 bombing of UN headquarters in Iraq. The Ahtisaari report criticized the UN for shunning protection from U.S.-led coalition forces - the only source of security in Iraq - and for ignoring “credible information on imminent bomb attacks in the area.” It also accused the UN of violating its own security rules. (AP 040435 Mar 04)
  
  
• Key European allies have rejected a U.S. push to refer Iran to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions due to its nuclear activities but Washington still hopes some sort of tough statement calling Tehran to task will be adopted next week, U.S. officials said on Wednesday. Although the United States and its allies have expressed concern about Iran’s nuclear pursuits, the issue is sowing new trans-Atlantic divisions, with Washington demanding tougher action against Iran than the Europeans are willing to consider. (Reuters 040041 GMT Mar 04)
  
  
• Tajikistan said it was overwhelmed by booming poppy and heroin production in neighbouring Afghanistan and saw no let-up in the flow of narcotics across its territory to Europe. “No one should expect a breakthrough in resolving narcotics trafficking across Tajikistan either this year or in the next few years,” Rustam Nazarov, deputy chairman of Tajikistan’s Drug Control Agency, told a news conference. “The number of Afghan provinces growing opium poppies grew to 32 last year from 28 in 2002 and, according to our data, in northern Afghanistan alone there are around 50 laboratories producing heroin.” The U.S.-led “war on terror” in Afghanistan toppled the Taliban movement, but has not stemmed massive output of opium poppies and has not stopped the flood of cheap drugs, mainly heroin, to Europe. (Reuters 031422 GMT Mar 04)