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Politics : DON'T START THE WAR -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Patricia Trinchero who wrote (8911)	2/16/2003 2:55:40 PM
From: Karen Lawrence	Respond to of 25898

Even in Iraq, they march for peace. And for every one who marches for peace another 100 cheer them on. Yes, let's drop Bush, or at least get Bush to drop his plans for war. NATO considers Belgian compromise Involving the UN seems to be the most difficult part for the US to swallow. (Photo: NATO) NATO’s Defence Planning Committee (DPC) has been holding a special meeting - without France - since Sunday morning to try and put an end to its deadlock over planning defensive measures for Turkey in case of a war against Iraq. France, Germany and Belgium created a crisis in the Alliance last week when they vetoed planning for its defence of Turkey with AWACS surveillance planes, Patriot and anti-chemical and anti-germ warfare teams. They argued it would mean a war in Iraq is inevitable. The North Atlantic Council, the highest decisional authority of the Alliance, is supposed to meet this afternoon and endorse the DPC conclusions, if any. Belgian proposal The DPC is considering a Belgian proposal made on Saturday by Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt. He said that the three countries may lift their veto to early assistance for Ankara if NATO makes it clear that the aid is strictly for defence and does not make the Alliance party to war preparations against Iraq. He also said that any decision on an intervention in Iraq should take into account the evolution of the discussion inside the UN. This follows a largely positive report presented by the UN chief weapons inspector, Hans Blix, on Friday to the UN Security Council. Involving the UN is proving to be the most difficult part of the Belgian plan for the US. Meanwhile, the Belgian foreign minister proposed Sunday the lifting of the embargo on Iraq. Louis Michel said that instead of the 11 year embargo, Iraq could be put under a close monitoring system. Mr Michel added that the Alliance is trying to put pressure on Belgium, but "we are not going to give in". France left out France is not included in the Defence Planning Committee and a decision could now be taken without the French position. France withdrew from the integrated military systems of the North-Atlantic Alliance in 1966. Therefore, the decision to put the issue into the discussion of DPC could be a NATO diplomatic trick especially because the Committee has the same authority on most defence matters as the policy-setting North Atlantic Council, (the highest NATO decision body). France has not objected to this and made no public statements regarding the calling of the DPC meeting. Ways around the problem Turkey, the only NATO member state bordering Iraq, needs protection all 19 members of the Alliance are agreed. But NATO is not the only means of protection as Turkey could be provided with Patriot air defence missiles on the basis of an bilateral agreement with the Netherlands. The AWACS surveillance planes could be provided from the Alliance stock that Turkey has the right to use. The anti-chemical and anti-germ warfare teams cannot be provided by the Alliance, but the surveillance system to monitor this warfare has to be endorsed by NATO. euobserver.com