Military

SHAPE News Morning Update

04 August 2004

BALKANS

• Kosovo’s outbreak of violence in March has left physical and psychological damage that still must be repaired, despite some progress, Secretary-General Kofi Annan wrote in a report made public on Tuesday. Mr. Annan’s report to the Security Council, which is to discuss the matter on Thursday, noted progress in several areas, including the investigation and arrest of those who perpetrated the violence, but also highlighted problems. “The continuing lack of freedom of movement, precarious security conditions and lack of access to public services for Kosovo’s minority groups have led to only minimal returns of those who fled during the violence in March,” it said. Also, it said no action has been taken on two priority issues: Kosovo’s provisional self-government institutions have not investigated or punished authorities who contributed to the violence through public statements or actions, nor have those institutions publicly condemned news reports that contributed to the violence. Kosovo’s Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi “has stated that the government will be unable to fulfil these actions,” the secretary-general reported. (AP 032111 Aug 04)
  
  
• The UN unveiled plans on Tuesday to build a power plant and lignite mine in Kosovo, a step likely to be seen in Serbia as a tilt towards Albanian demands for independence. The announcement looked almost certain to provoke a sharp reaction from Belgrade. The Serbian Energy Ministry in Belgrade was not immediately available for comment on the announcement. (Reuters 031645 GMT Aug 04)

IRAQ

• The German government said it is considering assisting the training of Iraqi soldiers in the United Arab Emirates and also is weighing supplying 100 trucks to Iraq’s armed forces. Germany already is helping train members of a new Iraqi police force in the UAE. In a statement, the government said it has held initial talks with Iraq and the Emirates on possible help in training the Iraqi military there. Berlin is also weighing supplying 100 used trucks from Bundeswehr stocks to the Iraqi military, it said. It also is weighing possible help in training Iraqi soldiers on truck repair, pioneer work such as building bridges and roads, and disposal of explosives. Talks on a German contribution will continue at “expert level,” the government statement said, adding that helping train Iraqis in Germany also is a possibility. It did not specify when any decisions might be made. (AP 031703 Aug 04)
  
  
• The United States is set to advertise a new round of contracts soon to rebuild Iraq’s infrastructure and these U.S-funded deals will be open to all nations, U.S. officials said on Tuesday in Washington. The first round of prime U.S.-funded construction deals was limited to countries that supported Washington’s war effort. This time, deals will be open to all nations except those supporting terrorism. In preparation for opening up deals, the Department of Defense asked the U.S. Trade Representative’s office last month to grant a waiver for future contracts and to allow all nations to bid for new U.S.-funded work. (Reuters 032223 GMT Aug 04)

RUSSIA

• Russian army troops and law enforcement forces simulated repelling a terror attack on a convoy carrying nuclear weapons on Tuesday in a military exercise designed to test Russian preparations in protecting against such assaults. The maneuvers, monitored by NATO observers, were held in the northern Murmansk region and involved more than 2,500 army troops and workers from various law-enforcement agencies, Russian news agencies said. Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov, who attended the exercise, reaffirmed that Russia’s nuclear weapons stocks are safely secured. Mr. Ivanov said the presence of several dozen officials from various NATO nations observing the exercise was “a significant step in the development of our relations with the alliance.” (AP 031432 Aug 04)
  
  
• Russia took over the rotating Security Council presidency on Tuesday, setting an agenda for the month that focuses on the crisis in Sudan, the UN role in Iraq and the world body’s counter-terrorism efforts. Russia’s new UN ambassador, Andrey Denisov, pledged to work for unity on the Security Council as it addresses Iraq and other issues. (AP 032030 Aug 04)

COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY

• Russia and three Central Asian nations began joint anti-terrorist military exercises Tuesday in Kyrgyzstan aimed at stopping al-Qaida and other extremist militants, officials said in Bishkek. The exercises are aimed at localizing and eliminating militant groups trying to infiltrate the southern borders of the Collective Security Treaty countries. More than 1,500 troops from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan are participating in the exercises near lake Issyk-Kul. This will be the first time that a Russian air base in Kyrgyzstan established last year will be involved in such exercises. Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev and defence ministers of the treaty member countries will monitor the exercises on Friday. (AP 030932 Aug 04)

WMD

• The European Union is set to help Syria out of its diplomatic isolation next month provided Damascus agrees to renounce weapons of mass destruction, an EU diplomat said on Tuesday. The source said Syria was poised to accept tougher wording on preventing the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons than it had originally negotiated with Brussels in exchange for a landmark trade and aid pact. The Europeans contend that economic and political engagement with Syria will do more to promote reform, human rights and responsible international behaviour than isolating it. (Reuters 031635 GMT Aug 04)
  
  
• North Korea is deploying new land- and sea-based ballistic missiles that can carry nuclear warheads and may have sufficient range to hit the United States, according to the authoritative Jane’s Defence Weekly. In an article due to appear on Wednesday, it said the two new systems appeared to be based on a decommissioned Soviet submarine-launched ballistic missile, the R-27. (Reuters 031539 GMT Aug 04)