PARIS,
February 12 (IslamOnine & News Agencies) - As the U.S. piles
pressures on France, Germany and Belgium to approve the U.S. proposal
for NATO to offer Turkey military assistance in the event of a war on
Iraq, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that a joint declaration
on Iraq he signed with France and Germany was a "step toward a
multipolar world."
Putin
warned the United States against "unilateral action" vis-à-vis
Baghdad, asserting it would be a "grave error to allow a unilateral
action outside of international law," Agence France-Presse (AFP)
reported Wednesday, February 12.
"For
the first time in history since the Second World War there is an attempt
to solve a thorny, complex problem on international security outside of
blocs.
"I
believe we can consider that as a first step toward a multipolar
world," Putin told reporters on the sidelines of his current visit
to France.
Putin
said the declaration was prepared at the initiative of French President
Jacques Chirac and not hammered out by foreign ministers, pointing out
that the proposals "could only have seen the light of day in
France."
"If
we had tried to do it in Russia, we would have immediately been accused
of putting a wedge between Europe and the United States.
"And
other European countries do not have the same weight. France is a
permanent member of the Security Council.
"The
other great European countries do not have the same sense of their
standing," Putting told reporters.
During
a lunch with Putin, French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said
Paris and Moscow had to "do everything possible to prevent a
conflict that could seriously threaten regional and international
stability."
"This
is now the main challenge facing France and Russia in our strategic
partnership, and this is how France and Russia can make their main
contribution to peace and international security," he added.
France,
Russia and Germany on Monday, February 10, united behind proposals which
called for doubling or tripling the number of U.N. arms inspectors in
Iraq and the deployment of spy planes for surveillance over the country.
The
initiative appears to have widened the rift between Washington and
Europe ahead of a key U.N. Security Council meeting on Friday, February
14, when top U.N. weapons inspectors are to deliver a much-awaited
progress report.
The
United States and Britain condemned the proposal, with British Foreign
Secretary Jack Straw calling it a "recipe for procrastination and
for delay."
NATO
Risks 'Breakup' over Iraq: Powell
 |
|
"If
we do not succeed in breaking that deadlock in NATO…we would go
ahead …to provide that support to Turkey," said Powell
|
Speaking
before the Senate Budget Committee, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell
warned Tuesday, February 11, that NATO risked breaking up over a deep
split in the alliance on Iraq and urged members to "do the right
thing" by moving to protect Turkey.
He
noted that 16 of the 19 NATO members supported plans to send Patriot
missiles and AWACS surveillance planes to assist Turkey, and lamented
that the opposition of Belgium, France and Germany was attracting the
most attention.
Powell
also accused Belgium, France and Germany of using NATO as a political
tool to advance their arguments against the use of force against Iraq at
the United Nations.
"France
and Germany and Belgium at the moment are using their blocking power to
signal their disagreement with the approach that we need to bring this
to a resolution with Iraq in the very near future at the U.N.,"
Powell said.
Asked
by one lawmaker whether the tough U.S. position was endangering the
alliance, Powell asked : "Who is breaking up the alliance?"
"Not
the United States. The alliance is breaking itself up because it will
not meet its responsibilities."
"We're
not breaking up the alliance. We're just making sure the alliance, both
the U.N. alliance and the NATO alliance, deals with this responsibility
and remains relevant to the task put before it," Powell told the
congressional panel.
Powell
also said that the U.S. is involved in "intense diplomacy" to
try to convince the trio to change their minds, noting that the U.S. and
other alliance members would act to defend Turkey by themselves if the
diplomacy failed.
"We
hope that intense diplomacy will persuade those three countries that
this is the time to stand by a fellow NATO member who has asked for
help.
"If
we do not succeed in breaking that deadlock in NATO, I think that would
be unfortunate. But nevertheless, we would go ahead with those nations
who are so inclined ... to provide that support to Turkey," he
warned.
Powell's
comments came as NATO members failed again to resolve the damaging
crisis, but vowed to pursue round-the-clock diplomacy in a bid to reach
agreement on the plans.
The
rift, which reflects the yawning transatlantic gap over a threatened
U.S.-led war on Iraq, has escalated into one of the worst crises in the
military alliance's 54-year history.
In
the meantime, one NATO diplomat said Wednesday, February 12, that the
North Atlantic Alliance was considering a compromise proposal aimed at
redressing the rift over Iraq.
The
diplomat said the member states will mull a "new decision
sheet," which strips U.S. proposals down to simply measures to
boost Turkey's defenses in the case of a war in its neighbor Iraq.
"By
focusing on the measures for Turkey there is hope that they (France,
Germany and Belgium) can find something acceptable for their ministries
and acceptable for their publics," he added.
The
United States had previously presented a package of proposals for NATO
role in a looming U.S.-led war on Iraq.
The
proposed package includes deploying Patriot anti-missile batteries,
AWACS surveillance planes and chemical-biological protection units to
Turkey, NATO's only Muslim member and the only one to share a border
with Iraq.
It
also includes proposals to allow the redeployment of NATO troops,
notably from Europe and the Balkans, in the event of a war against Iraq.
