News Analysis: Eastern European Countries Worry about NATO's Splits

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, February 12, 2003

News Analysis: Eastern European Countries Worry about NATO's Splits

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

The decision on Monday by France, Germany and Belgium to block a United States request for NATO to start planning the protection of Turkey in the event of a United States-led war against Iraq has highlighted the dispute within the alliance on how to handle the Iraq issue.

In addition, France and Germany cooperated with Russia in issuing a joint declaration appealing for a peaceful solution to the Iraqi crisis by strengthening United Nations arms inspection efforts.

US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld dubbed France and Germany as "Old Europe" by US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

The serious splits among NATO members have not only generated doubts and worries in Eastern European countries waiting for accession to the European Union (EU), but also impaired relations between the EU and its candidate countries.

The European press's description of the splits as "the most serious crisis in NATO's history" and "a storm lashing at the NATO" illustrated the worries of East European states.

At present, the biggest worry among the ten EU candidate countries, comprising Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Cyprus and Malta, is that they will not acquire adequate protection from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in face of future international conflicts.

Jerz Nowak, the Polish Ambassador to the NATO, expressed the problem frankly: "If NATO now refuses to help Turkey, it is an illusion for Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary to ask for protection from the NATO."

Present splits within NATO also harm relations between the EU and its aspirants in Eastern Europe.

While France and Germany are opposed to a military solution to the Iraqi crisis and issued, with Russia, a joint declaration appealing for a peaceful solution by strengthening United Nations efforts, the ten EU candidates in Eastern Europe have expressed their firm support for the United States in initiating war againstIraq and sending troops to Turkey, who joined NATO in 1952.

On Monday, the government of Greece, the EU rotating president,abandoned earlier plans to invite the leaders of EU candidate states to attend its proposed Feb. 17 summit aiming to forge a European consensus on how to deal with Iraq. This blocked the possibility that different voices from EU candidates might play a key role in solving the Iraqi crisis.

Europe is experiencing its historic changes at present, as the EU, the biggest economic and quasi-political organization in Europe, and NATO, the largest military organization in the continent, both chose the year 2002 to expand into the Eastern Europe.

Analysts say the splits within NATO and the impaired relations between the EU and its Eastern European candidates will have a profound influence on the future structure of Europe.

Questions?Comments? Click here

Powell Urges NATO to Provide Help for Turkey

News Analysis: Franco-German Veto Puts NATO Future in Jeopardy

NATO Remains Split after Postponed Meeting

Spring festival vs.Christmas in the eyes of Chinese youth ( 9 Messages)

China to Train First Psychologists ( 2 Messages)

Japan's Economy: The Largeness of Ship Makes It Hard to Veer Around ( 3 Messages)

Chinese FM Calls for Political Settlement of Iraq issue ( 11 Messages)

Bush Vows to Disarm Iraq by Force if Necessary ( 31 Messages)

Saddam Says Iraq Ready to "Defeat" US Troops ( 31 Messages)