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Security Conference: War, Peace and No Mention Of North Korea |
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(Source: Radio Netherlands; issued Feb. 14, 2005)
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This weekend, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued an urgent call for NATO member-states and the European Union to provide more high-quality military personnel for UN peace missions. Mr Annan said he has almost exhausted the reserves of peacekeeping troops.
There are currently 18 peace missions around the world, with a 19th being prepared for Southern Sudan. However, Mr Annan says that, in Darfur particularly, people are dying every day in what he described as a ‘possible crime against humanity,’ while the international community appears incapable of protecting them.
Frank and public
The call from the Secretary-General came on Sunday at the annual ‘Munich Conference on Security Policy’, an informal gathering of some 200 leading politicians (including many from the US congress); military figures; academics and journalists from all over the world. The conference has gained a reputation in recent years as the forum for frank, public discussion of a broad range of issues around its central theme of war and peace.
UN reform
It was Mr Annan’s first appearance at the conference, and he used it to announce his intention to implement nearly all the recommendations made by the ‘high panel’ of 16 experts which investigated possible reforms at the UN, including enabling the Security Council to order preventative action in thwarting threats of genocide. Towards the end of this year, the 191 members of the UN will take a decision about this blueprint for UN reform.
In Madrid next month, Mr Annan will present a plan of action – including an anti-terror treaty – to combat terrorism. The announcement is timed to coincide with the first anniversary of the bomb attacks in the city.
Kofi Annan also warned against the threat of ‘bio-terrorism’ using anthrax and small pox, and about the possible use of nuclear weapons by terrorist organisations. He also spoke of his desire to halt the ‘official’ spread of nuclear weapons by strengthening the current non-proliferation treaty, though he did not specifically mention North Korea or Iran.
A change of tone
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was a repeat participant; this time, however, in line with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice earlier in the week, his tone was more conciliatory towards his European allies. Yet he was clearly unhappy with a proposal made by German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder - unable to attend due to illness - for NATO to be the subject of an inquiry to establish whether it is still an appropriate forum for today’s key problems. The proposal was’nt well-received by the participants; even the German defence minister, who read out Mr Schröder’s words, voiced doubts later when speaking for himself.
Defending NATO
NATO’s Secretary-General, former Dutch foreign minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, argued that the alliance was still the best arena for transatlantic issues, and should prepare for a potential role in the Palestinian territories - provided a peace agreement is concluded, all the parties ask NATO to do so, and a UN mandate is forthcoming.
Later, Mr De Hoop Scheffer listened impassively as Egypt’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit described as ‘unacceptable’ NATO’s increasing interference in Middle East affairs and its lack of consultation with countries such as his own. (ends)
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Schröder Slammed over NATO Reform Idea |
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(Source: Deutsche Welle German radio; issued Feb. 12, 2005)
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German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder was heavily criticized on Monday for urging an overhaul of NATO, with some observers saying his remarks could damage ties with the United States.
Schröder's remarks came in a speech, read by Defense Minister Peter Struck, at a Munich security conference over the weekend in which he said NATO "is no longer the primary venue where transatlantic partners discuss and coordinate strategies."
Javier Solana, the European Union's top foreign policy representative, soundly rejected the chancellor's initiative. "NATO has not lost any of its relevance. One shouldn't dramatize things that aren't dramatic," he told the Berliner Zeitung newspaper on Monday.
In an interview with German broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer also rejected the criticism that the alliance was not an appropriate forum for political matters. "The alliance is both militarily and politically active in order to tackle present challenges," he said, adding NATO would remain the primary place for transatlantic consultations. "That was the case in the past, is the case now and should, in my opinion, stay that way."
The German press acknowledged that Schröder had been ill, but said Struck had been ill-prepared, unable to say whether the chancellor wanted the military alliance dissolved, and that German aides were surprised and disappointed.
New transatlantic tension?
The daily Die Welt headlined with "Schröder Alienates His NATO Partners" and puts new strains on relations with Washington, which were already badly frayed by Germany's opposition to the US-led war in Iraq. "If Europe's most important NATO partner starts questioning the Alliance, a new Atlantic crisis will erupt," the country's most widely-read newspaper, Bild, said in an editorial.
"In the way he conveyed the idea he has done serious if not irreparable damage," the Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote, adding that the chancellor had "left the NATO secretary general thinking he is doing a bad job."
In his speech, Schröder also urged the European Union and the United States to set up a panel of senior and independent officials to analyze new ways to boost transatlantic relations. "This panel should submit a report to the heads of state and government of NATO and the European Union by the beginning of 2006 on the basis of its analysis and proposals. The necessary conclusions could then be drawn," he said.
Schröder's unusually strong remarks, less than two weeks before a NATO summit, follow a visit to Germany this month by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who invited Berlin to demonstrate that it is willing to improve its relations with Washington. Rice, whose visit will be followed by US President George W. Bush on February 23, urged Germany to play a greater role in Iraq following the landmark elections there last month.
Schröder, who vehemently opposed the US-led war to oust Saddam Hussein, appears likely to expand Germany's role in training Iraq's overwhelmed police and military forces within the framework of NATO.
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