Military

SHAPE News Morning Update

08 July 2004

BALKANS

• A senior U.S. official pressed Belgrade’s leaders to extradite top war crimes suspects to a UN tribunal, stressing their failure to do so was preventing the Balkan nation from joining the EU and NATO. “We want Serbia-Montenegro to succeed and continue on the path of Euro-Atlantic integrations,” Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman said. “But there is a substantial obstacle on that road,” he added. “It’s time for that obstacle to be moved away ... It’s a matter of meeting the obligations to The Hague tribunal.” “It’s not something you should do to please the United States or the Europeans, it’s something you should do because it’s right for the Serbian people,” he added. Later on Wednesday, Mr. Grossman travelled to Kosovo. He urged Kosovo’s leaders and the UN administration running the province to “move fast, comprehensively and successfully” to implement the standards. That path “gives us the best chance to create a multiethnic, democratic, prosperous and peaceful Kosovo,” he added. (AP 071951 Jul 04)

RUSSIA

• Russia’s upper house of parliament on Wednesday ratified the modified Conventional Forces in Europe treaty, an agreement setting limits on heavy weapons across the continent, the Interfax news agency reported. Moscow has pressured the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which joined NATO in March, to join the treaty, saying that their failure to do so would threaten Russia’s security. The three former Soviet republics cannot accede to the treaty until it enters force. NATO has linked its own ratification to Russian troop pullouts from the former Soviet republics of Moldova and Georgia. Moscow, which has dragged its feet on the pullout, says its pledge to withdraw its forces from Georgia and Moldova is separate from the treaty. (AP 070931 Jul 04)
  
  
• China and Russia will hold joint military exercises next year, their first since 1999 and intended to tackle a new range of security challenges and nurture their partnership, Chinese state media said on Thursday. The decision was taken during a visit to Moscow by Guo Boxiong, vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, but the scope and timing of the exercises had yet to be decided, the China Daily said. He said the exercises would “jointly confront current new challenges to safeguard world peace,” the China Daily reported without giving details. (Reuters 080222 GMT Jul 04)

AFGHANISTAN

• The European Union is concerned about President Hamid Karzai’s dealings with Afghan warlords as he tries to stabilise the country ahead of elections later this year, EU diplomats said on Wednesday in Brussels. EU foreign ministers will discuss the frail security situation in Afghanistan when they meet in Brussels next Monday to review the bloc’s preparations to assist Karzai’s government with the polls, the diplomats added. EU diplomats confirmed there was widespread concern about the inability of the Karzai government to improve security and implement agreed reforms such as the creation of a single army, disarmament of factional militias and tax collection. (Reuters 070854 GMT Jul 04)

OTHER NEWS

• Australia and the United States have agreed to establish joint defence training centres in northern Australia that will further strengthen military ties, Prime Minister John Howard said on Thursday in Canberra. The new joint training base initiative is part of a U.S. plan to reposition its military away from a defensive Cold War stance towards a more agile posture needed to confront new threats. The announcement coincided with a pledge by Australia to work with the United States on a controversial “Son of Star Wars” programme, which will do research into a costly system to shoot down ballistic missiles. (Reuters 080157 GMT Jul 04)
  
  
• The Israeli government snubbed an international group of Mideast mediators in the region to discuss Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, saying it first wants to discuss the pullout with American officials. The representatives of the so-called Quartet - comprising the U.S., the EU, the UN and Russia - met with Palestinian officials Wednesday who welcomed the visit. Sharon’ spokesman, Asaf Shariv, denied the government had refused to meet the Quartet team. He said that Israel first wants to talk to a White House delegation arriving this week before discussing the withdrawal plan with others. (AP 071547 Jul 04)