Germany ready to back Nato proposal
By By Judy Dempsey in Brussels
Published: February 16 2003 10:13
Financial Times
Germany on Sunday said it was ready to back Nato proposals to defend Turkey against any possible attack from Iraq during a day of diplomatic activity aimed at ending a month-old deadlock that has damaged the alliance's credibility.
The deadlock, which began when France, Belgium and Germany last month refused to agree a US request to extend defence guarantees to Turkey, may be broken at Monday's summit of EU leaders and then passed back to Nato. All three countries had repeatedly said they opposed Nato making any decisions that might create the impression that the alliance believed war on Iraq was inevitable, rather than back the diplomatic efforts taking place at the United Nations Security Council. The US and other Nato countries, however, said they were only making "prudent and contingency" plans for Turkey - the only alliance member sharing a border with Iraq.
Louis Michel, Belgian foreign minister, said all three countries would "probably make a statement at the EU summit", although Nato diplomats said no planning for Turkey's defence could go ahead until the 18 Nato countries agreed to it at the Defence Planning Committee (DPC). This, chaired by Lord Robertson, Nato secretary general, is the main decision-making arm of the alliance on matters concerning its integrated military structure. Until now, discussion over Turkey had taken place in the North Atantic Council, the alliance's highest political decision-making arm in which France, like other countries, has a veto.
The DPC spent most of Sunday forging a new compromise put forward by Belgium and backed by France, that spelt out how Nato would provide only defensive, not offensive backing for Turkey. German officials said they could accept that wording which the alliance had in fact already suggested last week.
This time, however, the compromise being thrashed out in the DPC holds a greater chance of acceptance because France cannot use its veto. France is not a member of the DPC, having quit Nato's military integrated structures in 1966.
"In some ways, however late, all this is a face-saving compromise for all concerned," said a Nato diplomat. "France would not be accused of blocking the Turkish request, Germany could live with the wording and Belgium, the last to sign up, would be forced to cave in rather than be marginalised," he added. |
