France, Belgium Break NATO's Silence Procedure on Iraq Issue

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, February 11, 2003

France, Belgium Break NATO's Silence Procedure on Iraq Issue

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France and Belgium broke the "silence procedure" of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on provision of support the United States and Turkey in case of Iraq war, a NATO official said in Brussels on Monday.

The official, who declined to be named, said that there has notyet any stance from Germany, one of the three staunchest opponents within the military bloc of making immediate military initiatives when diplomatic means of resolving the Iraq crisis have not been exhausted.

"So far France and Belgium broke the silence. The council (NATO' s decision-making North Atlantic Council) is having an emergencymeeting at 10:30 a.m. (0930 GMT)," she said.

On Jan. 15, the United States officially requested NATO for support in case of Iraq war. But NATO has not reached any consensus on the issue since then because of fierce opposition from France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg.

NATO's Secretary-General George Robertson invoked the "silence procedure" last Thursday, setting 0900 GMT Monday as the deadline. If no member state breaks the silence, NATO would regard it as a consensus on the issue and would immediately set out making military plans in this respect.

The move of France and Belgium was widely regarded as a clear indication of the deepening divide among NATO member states on theIraq issue.

The "silence procedure" is one of the often-used prerogatives of the secretary-general, who will decide on the length of the silence based on the nature of the issue under discussion.

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