Global Policy Forum

By Ann Imse

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.

A chartered Boeing 777 landed with NATO Secretary-General Lord George Robertson and dozens of staff from NATO headquarters in Belgium. Robertson immediately boarded one of four Blackhawk helicopters to fly to the host Broadmoor Hotel, while other staff members headed off in motorcades surrounded by police. 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." Security was tight, with the luxury hotel and the two blocks surrounding it closed to outsiders. NATO booked the entire hotel for the 700 people who will take part. Some 250 journalists from around the globe are registered to cover the proceedings, but they must do so through news conferences and interviews because they are barred from all the sessions.

Iraq is not on the agenda. But Le Blevennec expects it will be the subject of numerous discussions in the hallways and at working dinners. 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. Details of that plan will be discussed during this week's, Robertson said. But NATO cannot occupy the whole country, Le Blevennec said, despite Afghan calls for help in extending security across the nation. "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.

The primary focus of the two-day Springs meeting is "the transformation of the alliance for the 21st century, to face the new threats we have now," Le Blevennec said. A key part will be a $7 million "crisis management study session" today at Schriever Air Force Base. Officials haven't explained the $7 million price tag, but a press release said the exercise will enable the ministers to think creatively about NATO's response to fictitious events set in an imaginary country in 2007. Le Blevennec insisted that the exercise is not a war game, because the ministers will make no decisions about how to handle the events, only discuss them. The press release implies that the scenario will include terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, and use of a planned NATO quick-response force.

At their working sessions, the NATO ministers also will discuss just how large and powerful that planned quick-response team will be. A prototype is due for activation Oct. 15. But the force, of perhaps 5,000 soldiers, is not expected to be operational for another year. NATO says the unit might be used as a show of force to deter aggression, or it could be used to defend a member country.

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