BELGIUM: The Belgian Foreign Minister has said that Belgium will block NATO planning for the protection of Turkey in the event of a war in Iraq.
Mr Louis Michel, asked yesterday if Belgium would break a "silence procedure" called by NATO Secretary-General George Robertson, under which each of the 19 allies has until this morning to raise objections, told Belgian television: "Yes, of course. We are now busy with France and I think also with Germany to write this letter to again fully use this veto. We are going to block it between now and Monday - it is settled."
France, Germany and Belgium, which oppose a rush to war, have argued for three weeks that preparations to defend Turkey could undermine diplomatic efforts to avert a conflict. Diplomats said Belgium's confirmation that it would stall the proposals at NATO was a strong indication that France - which it has shadowed on this issue - would do likewise.
Mr Michel's comments come a day after the US Defence Secretary, Mr Donald Rumsfeld, said at a European security conference in Munich that moves by France, Germany and Belgium to stall NATO planning for Turkey's protection were "inexcusable" and were undermining NATO's credibility.
Mr Michel said the United States had its own agenda for pressing for a war against Iraq. "They did not succeed in catching bin Laden and now they have to find an enemy they can beat," he said. "I think it has to do with power, probably also very likely with oil and the humiliation they suffered."
The German Defence Minister, Mr Peter Struck, confirmed in Munich yesterday that Germany and France would present the UN Security Council with a joint plan to try to avert war by reinforcing UN arms inspections which have been under way since November.
If France and Belgium do veto the military planning, Turkey may act to force their hands by invoking article IV, a clause never used in the 54 years of the alliance.
As a likely launch pad for a US- led war against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Ankara is nervous about possible counter-attacks.
Article IV says "parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence of security of any of the parties is threatened".
Diplomats said the article would put moral pressure on France and Belgium to fall into line, but Ankara would first seek assurances of solidarity from Paris before invoking the article to avoid what one diplomat dubbed a "NATO train wreck".
Mr Rumsfeld said if those blocking the Turkey plans did not change course, others would provide the missiles and specialist teams on their own and NATO would be the loser.
The US ambassador to NATO, Mr Nicholas Burns, said: "We believe that NATO allies have a fundamental obligation to come to the defence of an ally that has requested significant assistance." - (Reuters)