Military

SHAPE News Morning Update

22 July 2004

NATO

• The foreign minister of Serbia-Montenegro said Wednesday he would propose dropping a lawsuit against NATO that is hindering closer ties with the military alliance and the European Union. After talks Wednesday with Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot, Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic of what is now Serbia-Montenegro said, "There can be no partnership within Europe on the basis of lawsuits." It was not immediately clear how the government would react to Draskovic's idea. Bot, the Dutch minister, said that in addition to dropping the lawsuit, Serbia-Montenegro needed to arrest top war crimes suspects sought by the separate UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague if it wanted to join the EU and NATO. (AP 211925 Jul 04)

IRAQ

• Six weeks after the UN Security Council authorized a separate force to protect UN staff in Iraq, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that the world body has not received a single firm commitment of troops. "We have about three or four countries that have indicated some interest," Annan told a news conference. "I don't think any of them has come up with the size of force it is prepared to deploy; consultations and discussions are going on." The secretary-general said he had spoken to some leaders "who seemed interested but had certain conditions" including Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. He indicated that Pakistan "would be prepared to contribute if the request were to come from the Iraqi interim Government, and if there were other Islamic troops on the ground, because they would not want to be the only Islamic force on the ground," Annan said. "The UN has an important role to play; the UN must be in Iraq. Your question is, if that is the case, why aren't you protecting them and making it possible for them to go back? I think that is a question for them, not for me," Annan said. The UN wants to go into Iraq and support the process leading to elections by the end of January and "do everything to help the Iraqi people" but Annan said "that security force is essential." (AP 220044 Jul 04)
  
  
• Spain has offered to provide electoral experts to the UN for the Iraqi election which must take place by the end of January, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said Wednesday. He said he told UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan that the UN could "count on Spain's contribution in that process." Spain wants to contribute to "the democratisation process" in Iraq and believes the best way is through elections, Moratinos told reporters after meeting Annan and introducing him to representatives of the country's main political parties. "I have expressed the will of Spain to participate in the Iraqi electoral process," the Spanish minister said. He said there was no decision yet on details of Spain's contribution because the UN is still forming its electoral team. Moratinos was asked whether Spain planned to contribute to a new force dedicated solely to protecting UN staff and facilities in Iraq, which will be under the command of the multinational force. "We will participate with election experts in the electoral process," he replied, "but we are not going to participate in a UN protection force, or in the multinational force." (AP 220251 Jul 04)

OLYMPICS

• Responding to a request from Greece, the United States committed 400 American special forces soldiers to help protect the Olympic Games, a U.S. counter-terrorism official said Wednesday, as security costs for the games swelled to a record-breaking US$1.5 billion. It was not yet decided where the U.S. soldiers would be based: in Athens, on the island of Crete or on alert in Europe, where they are based in Germany. The decision on where to send the troops is mostly up to the Greek government, but will be made jointly with Gen. James Jones, the top NATO commander who also is commander of U.S. forces in Europe, the official said in Washington. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, indicated in Washington that any possible involvement of U.S. troops would be under a NATO umbrella. "The Greek government has made a request of NATO. NATO is evaluating that request," Myers said. Greece's top law enforcement official, meanwhile, said foreign leaders and other dignitaries can use their own armed guards at the Aug. 13-29 games, but athletes will be under the exclusive protection of Greek forces. (AP 220006 Jul 04)