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Pastimes : Kosovo -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: The Philosopher who wrote (2589)	4/8/1999 10:10:00 AM
From: nuke44	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17770

Why? Will a document signed and agreed upon by NATO members cause you to reverse your opinion on NATO's intervention in the Balkans? Or are you just looking for a point to quibble over because you disagree with NATO's actions, even though objectively you know they are doing the right thing? Well if it will make you happy. While the NATO treaty, ratified on 4 April, 1949 has remained constant, containing 14 articles, NATO has continued working from a "living document", if you will, commonly referred to as The Protocol. The Protocol derives it's authority from a consensus of the member (now 19) states and is not subject to the constraints to any outside document other than specified in the original NATO treaty. While the NATO treaty reaffirms its "faith" in the Charter of the UN and repeatedly refers to it's willingness to work inside of UN constraints, it has always maintained the right to act unilaterally if it was in the best interest of NATO members as decided by a consensus of those members. While the council of NATO members derive the basis of their authority from the NATO treaty, it is the Protocol that establishes the authority to act in specific situations. Article 4 of the NATO treaty states, "The Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties are threatened." This one article has been used as the authority for more NATO protocols than any other article of the treaty and is the cited authority for NATO's intervention agaisnt Serbia in a NATO protocal dated 4 January of this year. This same article was used to provide NATO military defense for West Germany before it became a member of NATO in 1954 (I understand that the Soviet Union gnashed it's teeth and rattled it's sabers over that one, to no avail). Macedonia has now requested NATO provide it military security but has reserved the right to refuse NATO use of it's soil to launch a ground attack on Serbia. Macedonia fears retaliation from Serbian forces because of it's support in principle of NATO's intervention. NATO is preparing a protocol establishing this protectorate for Macedonia. But in answer to your original question. Article 4 of the NATO treaty is being used as the basis for a NATO protocol, establishing the intent and authority for their intervention in Yugoslavia