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SHAPE
News Summary & Analysis
28
April 2004
NATO
- NATO
and Greek security forces to hold three-day exercise
ISAF
- Afghans, peacekeepers foil plots to attack Kabul
BALKANS
- KFOR
troops in Kosovo detain former rebel over March riots
- NATO
rejects Bosnia army candidates over alleged war crimes
MEDITERRANEAN
DIALOGUE
- Algerian
officer discusses country’s cooperation with NATO
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NATO
- According
to AP, Greece’s Public Order Ministry announced
Wednesday that NATO and Greek Olympic security forces plan
a joint three-day exercise next month in one of the last major
drills before the Aug. 13-29 games. The ministry
is quoted saying the exercise, called Olympic Guard 2 and
scheduled to take place from May 13-16, will test terrorist
scenarios with the participation of NATO forces, Greek special
forces, anti-terror squads, intelligence units and police.
U.S. commandos may participate as well, the ministry reportedly
said, adding that the mock scenarios will take place off the
coast of Lagonissi near Athens, at several Olympic venues
and at a seaside sports complex.
ISAF
- Reuters
reports an ISAF spokesman said in Kabul Wednesday
that in a raid in the morning about 15 kilometers north of
Kabul, two rockets were found and 16 men were arrested, suspected
of plotting to move weapons into Kabul. “Since
the beginning of April, 58 people suspected of links with
terrorist groups have been detained by Afghan security agencies,”
the spokesman reportedly said and added: “Certainly,
we have seen an increase in the number of people being detained,
weapons caches found, here in the city.” The dispatch
notes that news of the arrests comes two days after the commander
of ISAF said a “spring offensive” by militants
in the south may have spread to Kabul following the arrest
of insurgents with specific targets.
BALKANS
- According
to AFP, NATO-led peacekeepers in Kosovo detained early
Wednesday a former ethnic Albanian rebel commander in relation
to last month’s ethnic clashes. The dispatch
quotes a NATO spokesman saying the man was associated with
criminal activities that included extremism. “He was
detained in relation to … the riots on March 17 and
18, extremism, criminal activities and distinct threat to
safe and secure environment,” the spokesman reportedly
said.
- AFP
reports Bosnian Defense Minister Radovanic said Tuesday
NATO had rejected several Moslem and Croat candidates for
top posts in the joint command of Bosnia’s separate
ethnic armies because of alleged involvement in war crimes.
According to the dispatch, Radovanic said 10 Croat and Moslem
candidates were rejected over their alleged role in war crimes
during Bosnia’s war, financial or other wrongdoings.
However, all Serb candidates for the posts in the joint command
of the armies of Bosnia’s two postwar entities had passed
the screening. The dispatch adds that SFOR provided
no details, saying only that the vetting procedure was about
“selecting officers who are credible and have the trust
and confidence of all parties and international community.”
The dispatch speculates that the move is likely to
cause further delays in setting up the joint command, a pre-condition
for Bosnia’s accession to PFP.
MEDITERRANEAN
DIALOGUE
- Algier’s
Liberte reports that at a news briefing Wednesday,
an Algerian press officer explained that the Algerian army
is in the process of putting the finishing touches on its
security presence at sea. “We are trying to
integrate ourselves into globalization. We must hop on the
train,” the officer is quoted saying and adding: “This
globalization is already underway and is manifest
through cooperation with NATO. We have already conducted exercises
with other countries on the northern shore of the Mediterranean
and NATO.” The daily concludes that “the
Algerian army wants to present itself as an unavoidable force
that must be counted on, especially on a regional scale.”
It stresses that this is demonstrated by the “great
project” regarding the safety and security of ships
and port installations “under discussion with the Atlantic
Alliance and the International maritime Organization.”
U.S.
media continue to assert that Washington’s plan for a
Greater Middle East Initiative is in trouble.
Sadly, writes the Washington Post, the Greater Middle East Initiative
has become a victim of the U.S. administration’s failures:
of the growing violence in Iraq, the accumulated poison in transatlantic
relations and the backlash against President Bush’s decision
to endorse Israel’s unilateral redrawing of its borders.
The goals of the initiative have been steadily scaled back;
even a diminished version will be hard to achieve by the time
of planned summit meetings in June with NATO and other allies.
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