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| Iraq |
| Dutch to Send Missile System to Turkey |
| 2003-02-07 |
| The Dutch government has agreed to provide Turkey with a Patriot defense system in case of war in Iraq, the Defense Minister said Friday. The missile system will be supplied under a bilateral agreement, not through NATO, according to an Air Force official. Well, that was very unilateral of them. Charlotte Slagmolen, a defense ministry spokeswoman, said it was unclear when the system would be deployed or how many missiles would be available. The Dutch Air Force has four Patriot systems with 160 missiles. The decision comes as NATO allies face a deadline of Monday for raising objections to a U.S. request for help protecting Turkey, the only NATO member bordering Iraq. NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson announced the deadline Thursday, the same day Turkey's parliament took the first step toward allowing U.S. troops to set up bases there for use in a war with Iraq. Robertson stressed there "is complete agreement on the substance" of the measures to defend Turkey, and differences only concerned the timing of a decision to order military experts to begin planning. "NATO's solidarity with Turkey is not in doubt," Robertson insisted. France, Germany and Belgium, just three of 19 NATO members, have held up the start of military planning for almost three weeks, arguing it would send the wrong signal while the United Nations works to avoid a war. The Three Stooges On Friday, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero reiterated France's view that launching military preparations would send the wrong signal while U.N. efforts to avert war against Iraq continued. "Preparing sends the wrong signal" - That policy worked real well against Hitler, didn't it, France. "The position of the allies is a position of supporting the United Nations," Valero said. "This position remains unchanged." "In this context nothing would justify that the alliance associates itself with preparation for an eventual military operation," Valero said. He did not say how France would respond to Monday's deadline. Although the Dutch public is widely opposed to participation in a U.S.-led war in Iraq, Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende has said the Netherlands will be a "reliable partner" if force becomes necessary. Thank you, Jan. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 Note to the "Big Three" (France, Germany, Belgium): The Principle of the Seven P's: Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-02-07 14:09:24 |