Military

SHAPE News Morning Update

20 July 2004

NATO

• NATO's top military command arrived in Kosovo Monday for a visit that will include talks with the commanders of the peacekeeping force and the UN officials running the province. The delegation, led by German Gen. Harald Kujat, consists of representatives of all NATO member nations. International officials in Kosovo briefed them Monday on the security situation in the province, a NATO statement said. The routine visit intends to show "the continuing strong commitment and support for all peacekeepers in Kosovo, their achievements and their future perspectives," it said. Lt. Gen. Holger Kammerhoff, the top commander of NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo, warned that situation in this disputed province remained "calm but fragile," NATO said in the statement. (AP 191714 Jul 04)

BALKANS

• The head of NATO said on Monday he did not know the whereabouts of top Serb fugitive Ratko Mladic, despite assertions by the chief UN war crimes prosecutor that he is hiding in Serbia. Asked in Belgrade whether he agreed with UN prosecutor Carla del Ponte that the wartime Bosnian Serb military chief was in the city, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said: "I cannot possibly comment on this, because I do not know where Mr. Mladic is. The only thing I know is that he should be in The Hague. But I don't know where he is." Failure to hand over such suspects to a court many Serbs see as biased is blocking efforts to build closer links with western Europe, including membership of NATO's forum for cooperation with non-members, the Partnership for Peace. (Reuters 191414 GMT Jul 04)

OLYMPICS

• A Slovak civil defense unit specialized in detecting radioactive substances and toxic chemicals will be ready to help guard the Athens Olympics if needed, the Interior Ministry said Monday. With 12 hours notice, the six specialists and a laboratory could be ready to depart for the Aug. 12-29 games in Greece, the ministry said in a statement. The Czech Republic also plans to send 100 anti-chemical warfare specialists to help guard the Olympics and respond to any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. (AP 191421 Jul 04)
  
  
• Tens of thousands of Greek police and troops began deployment on Monday as part of the massive Olympic security operation to safeguard the August 13-29 Games. A string of sports venues, transport hubs and accommodation areas will be guarded by up to 70,000 soldiers, coastguards and police officers before the opening ceremony. "This is a constant process and we are entering the second phase on schedule, sweeping and locking down venues one by one," a Public Order Ministry spokeswoman told Reuters. The security curtain began to descend on the Greek capital on July 1 as more than 10,000 personnel took up Games-time positions. Organisers aim to have the majority of Olympic venues swept and "locked down" by the end of the month, said officials. The European Union on Monday praised Greek efforts to boost security. "It certainly came across as being extremely professional... There is a comprehensive security plan," Dutch Interior Minister Johan Remkes said. (Reuters 191358 GMT Jul 04)

RUSSIA

• President Vladimir Putin dismissed the longtime chief of the Russian armed forces' general staff in the wake of a brazen offensive by militants near Chechnya, firing a powerful general his defense minister suggested had resisted reform of the military. The dismissal of Gen. Anatoly Kvashnin was widely expected after the brazen, well-coordinated assaults that killed 90 people in the Ingushetia region. But analysts said that the assault on Ingushetia was likely being used as a pretext to dismiss Kvashnin, who was unpopular in military circles and had clashed with Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, a close Putin ally, over military reform. Kvashnin's replacement, Col.-Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky, was a strong critic of the U.S.-led war on Iraq and of U.S. plans to build a missile shield, he has emphasized Russia's interest in cooperating with NATO. "Baluevsky is known for his interest toward the West ... Western diplomats and military men are likely to praise his appointment," said Pavel Felgenhauer, an independent military analyst in Moscow. (AP 200019 Jul 04)

EU

• The UN General Assembly delayed a vote on a resolution on the Israeli security barrier against Palestinian suicide bombers to let European Union members work out language to ensure passage by a wide vote. The Palestinians had sought a vote Monday in the 191-member assembly urging Israel to obey the July 9 court opinion that the security fence is illegal, should be abandoned and Israel should pay compensation to Palestinians hurt by its construction. But European Union states were said to be seeking to include mention of Israel's right of self-defense against terrorism. A European diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said EU members were also trying to broaden the assembly's resolution specifically to add mention of efforts to seek peace in the Middle East. The Palestinians say the wall is a land grab because parts of it are being built on West Bank land Israel conquered in the 1967 Middle East war. Israel says the fence keeps out suicide bombers. (AP 200309 Jul 04)