Split NATO delays Turkey debate
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NATO deadlocked on planning to protect Turkey -- the alliance's only Muslim state
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NATO countries yet to resolve stalemate over security of Turkey. CNN's Matthew Chance reports (February 13)
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BRUSSELS, Belgium -- NATO is continuing to delay an emergency debate on the U.S. proposal to protect Turkey in the event of war in Iraq as the divided allies consider the report given to the U.N. Security Council on Friday by weapons inspectors.
NATO officials told The Associated Press the alliance's policy-setting North Atlantic Council had no plans to gather for a weekend session -- despite an earlier indication to the contrary by Germany's defense minister.
It was decided Friday that the spilt alliance would wait for the latest report from United Nations chief weapons inspectors before seeking to heal their rift over whether to start defensive military planning. (U.N. report)
For four weeks, France, Germany and Belgium have blocked U.S. proposals for NATO to plan for the deployment of early warning planes, missile defenses and anti biochemical units to Turkey, the only alliance member which borders Iraq.
The three say starting such military preparations would undermine efforts at the United Nations to avoid a war. They have insisted any decision on the planning wait until after Friday's report to the U.N. Security Council.
Since Monday, when Turkey formally invoked NATO's mutual defense treaty to request alliance help, the resistance by the French, Germans and Belgium has plunged the alliance into its worst crisis for years.
A series of emergency meetings at NATO headquarters this week failed to break the deadlock.
The split reflects wider differences over the Iraq crisis where France and Germany are leading efforts in the United Nations to head off a war which the United States and Britain say time is running out for peaceful options.
On Thursday, what would have been the fourth day of talks at NATO headquarters, in Brussels, were cancelled despite Germany expressing confidence that a solution would be found to the impasse. (Full story)
NATO spokesman Yves Brodeur said: "No progress could be made in the formal surroundings of a North Atlantic Council meeting therefore the meeting has been cancelled for today."
Despite the decision not to call a meeting before chief weapons inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei appeared before the U.N. Security Council with a report on their progress in Iraq, on Friday, NATO officials said, consultations and negotiations were continuing informally.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
