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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: D.Austin who wrote (360195)	2/16/2003 6:16:59 PM
From: PROLIFE	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

reuters.com NATO Breaks Deadlock on Iraq in 18-Nation Committee Sun February 16, 2003 06:05 PM ET BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO broke its deadlock over planning for the defense of Turkey in the event of a U.S.-led war against Iraq on Sunday after hours of wrangling in a committee where France, which had blocked the move, has no seat. "I can now confirm that the 18 NATO allies...agreed today to task military planners to begin their work," NATO Secretary-General George Robertson told a news conference 13 hours after ambassadors started meeting in the morning. "Alliance solidarity has prevailed. Belgium and Germany had held out for a month with France, arguing that it was premature for NATO to take steps that could imply acceptance of military action while U.N. weapons inspectors were still trying to disarm Iraq peacefully. But they eventually agreed on Sunday to start planning for the protection of their NATO ally -- a likely launchpad for any strike -- after Robertson took the issue to the alliance's Defense Planning Committee. France is not included on the Defense Planning Committee because it withdrew from the integrated military structure of the alliance in 1966. The forum was used to get round French objections during the 1991 Gulf War when NATO sent its Allied Command Europe Mobile Force to southeastern Turkey. "We would have preferred to have a decision by the 19 members of the North Atlantic Council. France has got its own position, it can answer for itself," Robertson said. "But today was a remarkable day...an important signal that we will stand by an ally if that ally is under threat. This is not a step toward going to war." In a decision sheet, over the wording of which the ambassadors wrangled all day, the 18 allies said they continued "to support efforts in the United Nations to find a peaceful solution to the crisis." "This decision relates only to the defense of Turkey, and is without prejudice to any other military operations by NATO, and future decisions by NATO or the U.N. Security Council." Diplomats said these phrases met demands made by Belgium, whose position looked likely at one stage to make a deal impossible.