Military

SHAPE News Morning Update

02 July 2004

NATO

• NATO envoys met Thursday in Brussels for a first discussion of how to train the new Iraqi armed forces. They asked military planners to draw up options for the program. They also added that it was too early to give details of the possible mission, or when it might start. ( AP 011612 Jul 04 )
• Naval and air force units from 10 countries will take part in a major U.S.-led NATO military exercise off Morocco in July , the Pentagon said. Morocco will host the July 11-16 NATO exercise, code named "Medshark-Majestic Eagle 04," which will include about 20,000 troops, more than 20 warships and submarines and large numbers of aircraft. France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and Britain will also participate, the Defence Department said in Washington. The exercise will use a NATO command-and-control structure under the direction of NATO regional forces headquarters in Naples. Vice Adm. Harry Ulrich, Commander of the U.S. Sixth Fleet , will command all units in the exercise. "It will truly demonstrate the collective powers and versatility of our combined NATO maritime forces." ( Reuters 012207 GMT Jul 04 )
• Bulgaria said it plans to update its aging military air fleet by modernizing or replacing most of its Soviet-built jets and choppers. Only four of Bulgaria's 42 helicopters are operational, said Gen. Nikola Kolev , the military's chief of staff. "Our top priority is to repair and modernize the military helicopters," he said. Bulgaria's air force should have at least two transport helicopters ready by next year for NATO missions, he added. "Procedure rules and requirements for the future contractors will be ready within a week," Defence Minister Nikolai Svinarov told reporters in Sofia. ( AP 011420 Jul 04 )

BALKANS

• The foreign ministry of Serbia and Montenegro submitted UN war crimes indictments against four generals to a Belgrade court on Thursday, starting a process that may lead to their extradition to The Hague. The move is likely to be seen as a positive sign in the West. "I am absolutely for the fulfilment of our obligations towards the international tribunal," Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic said on television. The UN tribunal said last October it had indicted former police chiefs Sreten Lukic and Vlastimir Djordjevic, and retired army generals Nebojsa Pavkovic and Vladimir Lazarevic, for war crimes against ethnic Albanians during the 1999 Kosovo conflict. ( Reuters 011906 GMT Jul 04 )
• NATO troops searched an underground bunker system in eastern Bosnia once used as headquarters by the former Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic. The operation started early on Thursday in the mountainous area of Han Pijesak. NATO officials would not reveal the target of their search, but said in a statement they were trying to "ensure compliance with the Bosnian Peace Agreement," implying they could be looking for war crimes suspects, weapons, documents or any other related materials. Bosnian Serb police were also involved in the search. ( AP 011135 Jul 04 )
• Any decision on Kosovo's future must leave the province as part of Serbia, a top Russian official said Tuesday during a visit to Serbia-Montenegro. The comments by Boris Gryzlov , speaker of Russia's Duma, or parliament, reiterated his country's traditional support of its Slavic ally. "Russia considers Kosovo an inseparable part of Serbia," said Mr. Gryzlov, who headed a delegation of Russian parliamentarians on a three-day visit. ( AP 011414 Jul 04 )

AFGHANISTAN

• Spain plans to roughly double its peacekeepers in Afghanistan to a maximum of 1,040, unless parliament objects , Defence Minister Jose Bono said in Madrid. Spain's parliament is due to vote next week on the proposal. ( Reuters 011736 GMT Jul 04 )

IRAQ

• Jordan's King Abdullah II said his country would be willing to send troops to Iraq, potentially becoming the first Arab state to do so. The statement marked a major shift in Jordan's policy toward Iraq. In an interview on Thursday with the BBC television "Newsnight" program, King Abdullah said he wanted to support Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's interim government. "I presume that if the Iraqis ask us for help directly, it would be very difficult for us to say no," he said during the interview in London. "Our message to the president or the prime minister is: Tell us what you want. Tell us how we can help, and you have 110 percent support from us." ( AP 020105 Jul 04 )