The Hindu : NATO fails to agree on Iraq

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 12, 2003

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NATO fails to agree on Iraq

BRUSSELS Feb. 11. The NATO ambassadors today failed to resolve a damaging crisis over Iraq and would reconvene tomorrow, the alliance spokesman, Yves Brodeur, said.

``There is no conclusion yet on the ongoing discussions,'' he told reporters.

``The talks will continue throughout the night,'' he added, referring to high-level contacts between top officials from the alliance's 19 member-states.

A new meeting of NATO's policy-making North Atlantic Council was scheduled for tomorrow in Brussels at 9.45 a.m. (0845 GMT), another official said.

``They are still at the same position,'' a diplomat told AFP. Monday's aborted meeting, meant to tackle a divisive row over a U.S. request to bolster Turkey's military defences, had already been postponed twice during the day.

`Extend inspections'

In Berlin, a German Government source said today that 11 of the 15 U.N. Security Council members supported extending arms inspections in Iraq.

The U.S., Britain "in part", Spain and Bulgaria were the exceptions. "The others support the German position," the source said in response to a question about whether Germany was isolated in wanting the inspectors to be given more time to conduct their work.

Germany is a temporary, non-veto-holding member and currently holds the chair of the Security Council, which needs the support of nine of its 15 members to pass any resolution. The source said that when the work of the "weapons inspectors has been exhausted, then we can talk about other action."

The German Government wants to see "robust inspections carried out in line with UN resolution 1441 on Iraqi disarmament, and the international sanctions imposed after President Saddam Hussein's forces invaded Kuwait reinforced."

The source said Germany had been working together with France on a number of proposals to avoid a conflict in Iraq. The proposals included boosting the number of inspectors, tightening border controls against illegal oil exports and other smuggling, and examining more closely so-called "dual use" materials that could also be used to make weapons.

The source said the proposals did not include sending UN peacekeepers into Iraq, as suggested in news reports at the weekend.

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