.Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro
de la Prensa-Basm Özeti
Reaching accord,
EDwarns Saddam
tion's military planning committee,.
which excludes France.
" France withdrew from all military
planning at NATO in 1966and now only
takes part in political decisions.
The compromise agreement was
reached Sunday after Belgium and Germany
received assurances that the military
equipment to be supplied to'Turkey
would be used for defensive
purposes only.
According to the deal, AWACS air-
of his 'lastchance'
By Thomas Fuller
wines and dined on fish and "oss.obuco
IJ;rtematioDaI Herald
Tribune
craft to be dispatched to Turkey would
de lotte,;' was of discord be used "for surveillance, early warn-
A phrase in the leaders' joint com- ing and. maintaining the integrity of
BRUSSELS: Fre~h from winning a muniqué pushedby Britain- that Turkish airspace." .'.
hard-fought breakthrough at NATO, "time is running out" for Iraq - was' The document hashed out by the 18
leaders of the European Union warned . deleted by Germany. ambassadors recalled provisions of
Iraq on Monday that it was facing its "Thàt.was not acceptable for us," the NATO's founding treaty, "in particular
"last chance" to disarm. German . chancellor, Gerhard the undertaking of allies to refrain in
But the Union failed to resolve a fun- Schroeder, told reporters. their international relations from the
damental split between Britain and The communiqué' made an apparent threat or use of force in any manner in-
France, the two countries whose posi- reference to the massive anti-war consistent with the purposes of the
tiOlis appear to define the deep divi- demonstrations over the weekend Say- United Nations."
sions in Europe over the Iraqi crisis. ing that the objective of the EU was "full "This decision relates only to the de-
While Britain has sent about 35,000 and effective disarmament" in accord- fense of Turkey, .and is without prejutroops
to the Gulf to participate in an. ance with the UN resolution, it said: dice to any other militaryoperations by
eventual American attack. the French "We want to achieve this peacefully." NATO, and future decisions by NATO
Navy said Monday that the country's "It is clear that this is what the or the UN Security Council," the final
only aircraft carrier, the nuclear- people of Europe want," the commu- document said.
powered Charles de Gaulle, would re- niqué said. Belgium diplomats said they hoped
turn to its home port of Toulon next The documents said that "war is not the breakthrough at NATO would help
week "as planned," after a tour of the inevitable" and that "force should be the EU find common ground.
eastern Mediterranean that included used only as a last resort." Although the Pat Cox, president of the European
exercises with a U.S. carrier.. communiqué said "inspections cannot Parliament, said what was at stake for
President Jacques Chirac of France continue indefinitely in the absence of the EU now is to show it has credibility
said Monday that war should not be an full Iraqi cooperation," it did not spe- in the Iraqi crisis. . ,
option until UN arms inspectors de- cify who should decide when inspec- "The Iraqi question has exposed in a
.cided themselves to call it quits. tions should stop - and force used. very clear way the gap between
"We are committed in the framework
of UN Resolution 1441to the path of dis-. "There's still a lot of debate to be had
Europe's aspirations and Europe's capa-
city," he said after discussions with EU
armament through the inspectors, who on that issue," Blair said. leaders Monday.
alone can stop this process, "Chirac said Britain's hard-line stand appeared to "No matter what is written down, if it
. . be backed by Spain and the Nether- . . d b
as he arrived at the summit meeting. lands. On the other side of the divide IS not ammate y political will it runs
British leaders, by contrast, played the risk of being nice but empty," Cox
down the power of inspectors, pushing were France, Germany and Belgium - said.. . .
instead for a set of political deadlines notably the same three countries that Several leaders repeatedly used the
for Iraq to comply with calls to disarm. blocked a decision over military aid to same wording to describe how pressure
"The best thing to do is t\J make a Turkey at the North Atlantic Treaty .or- should be applied to Saddam - "diplo- "
judgment of whether Saddam is co- ganization last week. macy backed by a credible threat of
operating or not," said Prime Minister That deadlock was broken late Sun- force."
Tony Blair. "That's why we require a day after a marathon negotiating ses- German leaders, who have consis- ,
timetable."' sion in a committee that does not in- tently opposed war even if sanctioned
"We came together to send a mes- clude France. by the UN Security Council, seemed to
sage to the world: Europe is united," Lord Robertson, NATO's secretary- indicate they would not block wording
said Romano Prodi, the president of the general, helped shepherd the compro- in a final text about the use of force as a
European Commission.
mise by moving the debate from the last resort.
The message from inside the meeting North Atlantic Council, which inçludes "We are not standing in the way of a
room, where leaders drank Greek all19 NATO members, to the organi~a- compromise," the German foreign min-
Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin of France, left, with hiSGerman counterpart, Joscbkà Fischer, President Jacques Chirac
ofFrance audCbancellor Gerhard Scluoeder of Germany'as they met Monday to try to find a common policy with Britain.
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