Reinforcements Unlikely

[Yoshie Furuhashi <furuhashi.1@xxxxxxx>]

*****   Reinforcements unlikely
Even if nations alter stance on Iraq, forces committed elsewhere

By Ann Imse, Rocky Mountain News
October 8, 2003

The NATO conference in Colorado Springs this week is unlikely to
produce the news that tens of thousands of Coloradans would like to
see: A promise that allied soldiers will replace their loved ones
serving in Iraq.

Even if NATO members were to change their positions on helping the
United States in Iraq, countries with significant military forces
already have them committed to peacekeeping efforts in Afghanistan,
Bosnia, Kosovo and Africa, said NATO spokesman Francois Le Blevennec.

He was speaking to reporters as defense ministers from 19 NATO
countries and eight guest nations began arriving at Peterson Air
Force Base in Colorado Springs on Tuesday afternoon for two days of
meetings. . . .

Protesters dotted the last mile to the highly secure, closed-door
conference. One held a sign, saying: "We love our troops. Please
bring them home." . . .

The United States did enjoy some headway on Tuesday.

The parliament of Turkey, a NATO ally, decided to send troops to
serve as peacekeepers in Iraq. Estimates range up to 10,000 soldiers.

But the Iraqi Governing Council is strongly opposed to Turkish
peacekeepers anywhere in Iraq. The Turks have been fighting their own
Kurdish minority at home. They cannot be sent to the Kurdish areas of
northern Iraq because the Kurds have promised to fight them.

Despite American wishes for military relief in Iraq, the breadth of
NATO's international commitments is interfering, Le Blevennec said.

Germany is running the NATO operation in Afghanistan, "and it can't
do any more because they reduced their defense budget so much in the
last 15 years," he said.

France has troops in various countries in Africa, while Bosnia and
Kosovo continue to require security from many of the allies. Even
Portugal's forces are still tied up in peacekeeping in East Timor, Le
Blevennec said.

People forget how long these operations run, he said. "We've been in
Bosnia since 1995," he said - although reducing NATO forces in the
Balkans is reportedly on the agenda of the Springs meeting.

A shortage of troops also is limiting NATO's efforts in Afghanistan,
he said. NATO has just agreed to extend its peacekeeping - perhaps by
several thousand troops - to several more cities beyond the capital
of Kabul, and has asked for United Nations authorization. . . .

But NATO cannot occupy the whole country, Le Blevennec said. . . .
"We just don't have the capability to do that," he said.

Still, Le Blevennec did say that "some countries could do better" in
providing support for international peacekeeping. But they are
generally too small to provide the level of support that Americans
are seeking, he said. . . .

Imsea@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx or 303-892-5438. The Associated Press
contributed to this report.

<http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_2330074,00.html>
*****

--
Yoshie

* Bring Them Home Now! <http://www.bringthemhomenow.org/>
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<http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html>,
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