Military

SHAPE News Morning Update

30 July 2004

NATO

• NATO officials hoped to wrap up a deal to begin training missions for Iraqi forces Friday despite strong French objections to Washington's demand that its commander be an American. "We are very close," a NATO official said on customary condition of anonymity, following two marathon days of talks at NATO headquarters. Ambassadors were to reconvene Friday morning after consulting capitals on the last outstanding issues, chief among them Washington's insistence that the commander of the NATO force be integrated in the U.S.-led coalition already in the country Washington argues making the NATO mission commander part of the chain of command of the U.S.-led coalition would be the best way to protect the mission and ensure its effectiveness. Another outstanding issue had to do with whether the mission should be commonly funded by all allies, like the NATO peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan, or only by those sending troops. Diplomats said they thought that was easier to solve than the command question. (AP 300148 Jul 04)

OLYMPICS

• Spy planes from a small U.S. Navy base have joined a vast intelligence network feeding Greek and NATO authorities information about any potential threats to next month's Olympics, base officials told AP. According to base officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, an increased number of U.S. Air Force RC-135 and U.S. Navy EP-3 reconnaissance planes have been using the Souda Bay base on the island of Crete for missions over North Africa and the Middle East. The officials would not give additional details on the flights or intelligence gathered. Greek and overseas security officials have indicated there is no specific threat against the Aug. 13-29 Games. But preparations to protect the games are in full-swing. The reconnaissance planes taking off from Souda Bay are expected to work alongside the AWACS aircraft from NATO and other sea and air patrol forces for the games. The Souda Bay base on the southern island of Crete serves as an intelligence hub for operations in the Middle East, Balkans and the Mediterranean Sea. (AP 291716 Jul 04)

SUDAN

• The Security Council planned to vote Friday on the U.S.-drafted resolution on Sudan, which deleted the word "sanctions" but kept the threat of economic action and other measures against Khartoum if it doesn't disarm Arab militias that have killed thousands in a brutal campaign against black African farmers. Activists said the resolution wasn't tough enough and relied too much on the Sudanese government. The initial draft included the word sanctions. It turns out that the use of that word is objectionable to certain members of the Security Council," U.S. Ambassador John Danforth said. The new draft resolution still calls on Sudan to disarm the Arab militias and would impose an arms embargo on individuals, groups or governments that supply the Arab militias or black African rebel groups. (AP 300250 Jul 04)

TERRORISM

• Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani was arrested along with 13 others after a 14-hour gunbattle with security forces at the weekend in the city of Gujarat, about 175 km southeast of Islamabad, Pakistan Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat said. "It is a big achievement for our security forces," he said. The United States had offered a reward of $25 million for the capture of the Tanzanian national, the same bounty offered for al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and 19 others on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorist List. Hayat said Pakistani security forces had been acting on a tip-off when they raided a suspected militant hideout in Gujarat. Pakistan had not yet received a request from the United States for Ghailani's extradition, Hayat said. "He has been in Pakistan for some time. We have to establish the exact nature of his activities and scope of his network in Pakistan. Only after we have exhausted our inquiries shall we be able to hand him over ... to the U.S.," he said. (Reuters 300222 GMT Jul 04)