NATO Rebuffs Bush On Ukraine, Georgia

Allies Reject U.S. President's Pleas To Include Former Soviet Republics In 26-Nation Alliance

(CBS/AP)  President Bush suffered a painful diplomatic setback Wednesday when NATO allies rebuffed his passionate pleas to put former Soviet republics Ukraine and Georgia on the path toward membership in the Western military alliance.

The decision, to be made final on Thursday, was sure to be cheered by Moscow, which heatedly opposes NATO's eastward expansion.

In another sign of discord, Greece blocked Macedonia's request to join the 26-nation alliance because of a dispute over its name. Only Croatia and Albania will be invited as new members.

It was a sour outcome for Mr. Bush at his final NATO summit as he sought to polish his foreign policy legacy. Instead, he wound up sidetracked by opposition and splits among European allies. It was a result that was foreshadowed by public statements from France and Germany but Mr. Bush nevertheless put his prestige on the line and even made a stop in Ukraine on Monday to argue his case.

"We are convinced that it is too early to grant both states the (pre-membership) status," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said as she arrived in Bucharest for the summit. It only takes one NATO member to block a decision, because policy-making is reached by consensus.

Mr. Bush was counting on the summit to strongly endorse plans for an anti-missile shield in Europe despite once-heated objections from Moscow.

The summit's opening dinner ran two hours longer than scheduled as the discussion went around the table, with each leader making his or her case. The White House expressed confidence that NATO would give a strong statement of support for its mission in Afghanistan and that a number of countries would pledge additional troops.

Mr. Bush, going into the talks, said he was "optimistic that this is going to be a very successful summit."

Diplomats said the alliance would offer a statement saying NATO's door will remain open if Ukraine and Georgia move ahead with political and military reforms and build support for NATO among their citizens.

Afghanistan loomed as the summit's No. 1 topic, a point of contention between some Europeans who see the NATO mission as largely a humanitarian effort and the Bush administration and others who see it as a central front in the fight against terrorism.

Canada had threatened to pull its troops from the front lines in southern Afghanistan unless other allies sent an additional 1,000 combat troops to help.

NATO has about 47,000 troops in Afghanistan, but commanders are pleading for more troops in the south, where Taliban insurgents are wreaking the most havoc. The United States supplies the largest contingent, about 14,000 for NATO, plus the United States has 13,000 operating separately in eastern Afghanistan hunting terrorists and training Afghan forces.

"We expect our NATO allies to shoulder the burden necessary to succeed" in Afghanistan, Bush said a midday news conference with Romania President Traian Basescu on a Black Sea beach.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has offered a battalion - normally about 700 to 800 troops - for the volatile eastern region, NATO spokesman James Appathurai said, reporting on the dinner. That would free up U.S. troops to move south. Appathurai said the offers on the opening day of the summit would meet Canada's demands.

To make up for other allies, Mr. Bush has pledged to send an additional 3,200 Marines to Afghanistan. The White House on Wednesday said the actual number would be 3,500.

Mr. Bush hailed NATO's expected endorsement of missile defenses.

"It looks like to me that the ingredients are coming together where that could be a distinct possibility," Mr. Bush said. "And that would be a very important statement because NATO could assure its members and the people within NATO that there would be defenses available to prevent a Middle Eastern nation, for example, from launching a strike which could harm our security."

The U.S. worries most that Iran could someday launch such as missile.

NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, talking with Mr. Bush before the summit, said NATO would "take a clear position on missile defense, recognizing the threat and working on the answers to that recognized threat."

De Hoop Scheffer also said the alliance would publish a "vision statement" about NATO'S long-term commitment to Afghanistan. "We should not forget that we are on one of the front lines in a fight against terrorism in Afghanistan," he said.

Taking note of the dispute over Ukraine and Georgia, de Hoop Scheffer said before the dinner: "I think this can never be a question of `whether.' The `whether' is not questionable. If these nations fulfill the criteria, and if they want to enter - want to enter themselves through NATO's open door, I think that door should be open."

A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the leaders' meeting was private, said the Bush administration would still consider the summit a success if NATO makes clear that the door to membership remains open. The debate, according to the official, is whether the Bucharest meeting was the right time to settle the question about Ukraine and Georgia.

The alliance is due to invite Croatia and Albania to join, but Greece is pledging to veto Macedonia's bid unless there is a last-minute agreement to change the candidate country's name. Greece says that implies a claim on its northern region, also called Macedonia.

"Until the name issue is resolved there cannot be consensus" on Macedonia's bid, Appathurai said.

"I feel good about what I'm hearing from my fellow leaders about their desire to support Afghanistan," the president said after meeting with de Hoop Scheffer. "I think if tomorrow we get clarification on troop support ... the people of Afghanistan are going to be more than grateful." He did not mention any specific numbers of additional troops.

Mr. Bush plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday in the resort city of Sochi, the last such session of their presidencies. Bush is also to meet with Putin's hand-picked successor, Dmitry Medvedev.

Putin has been adamantly opposed to the U.S. push for NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia and sees this as an affront to Russia's sovereignty, reports CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante.

The White House is holding out hopes of an agreement easing Russia's opposition to a missile shield.

Mr. Bush said Putin should not fear NATO, but rather should welcome the alliance because it "is a group of nations dedicated to peace."

[tbweb]

Pres. Bush did win on Missile Defense and more troops for Afghanistan, but a well connected U.S. Administration would have known in advance NATO expansion would fail and would not have experienced the Public humiliation of failure, which is not a good sign, Pres. Bush should have known this outcome in advance and should not have been finding out with the rest of the World.

[watcher269-2009]

BUSH and Cheney had soooo much potential after 9/11 to do sooo much good for the world and they squandered it just to attack Iraq for Daddy Bush!

This will be their History - Failure.

[tulcak]

the gall of this moron. he threw a hissy fit when the U.N. rejected his Iraq war and he called the U.N. "irrelevant". And Now he is telling NATO what countries should be allowed into NATO AND says: "Bush said Putin should not fear NATO, but rather should welcome the alliance because it ''is a group of nations dedicated to peace.''" all the while saying how this same "group of nations" can unite for WAR in Afganistan... HUH?!! and this is the kind of crazy and convoluted logic that holds his finger over the nuclear button... if you are not very frightened by this, you are just as crazy...

[jb01201a]

,,,, You have no idea of anything do you ?? --- It''''s your conservatives who have lost Iraq & caused 36,000 American deaths & wounded for no gaain
Lib schmuck - that should make you happy since u are anti-us-miltary and pro-un !

[jb01201a]

36,000 American deaths & wounded for no gain - 4,000 in iraq and 250 in afganistan = 36,000

-- It''''s you conservatives who are responsible with the inability of our own military to field troops for Afhaganistan now or in the near future. - lets see : Jimmy and Bill gut the Military.

-- It''''s you conservatives who can''''t get Nato on board: nato should not expand into the former soviet states.

-- It''''s you conservatives who Failed at Middle East Peace: Jimmy really created middle east peace !
-- It''''s you conservatives who Failed to get OBL & escellated Global Terrorism: yea, and your man billy was given OBL 3 or 4 times from the Sedan and you libs treat terrorism like a crime or police crime ! wow how intelligent you libs are !

[j-whitman]

jb01201a,,,, How about the reaction by McCain''s staff when leading conservative James Dobson said, "McCain isn''t uniting conservatives, he''s driving them away"

McCain''s staff responded with -- "That''s OK, we''ll get more independents"

[j-whitman]

jb01201a,,,, Do you want me to tell you of the Exceptionally Grave Damage you conservatives have done to our National Security ???????

[j-whitman]

jb01201a,,,, You have no idea of anything do you ?? --- It''s your conservatives who have lost Iraq & caused 36,000 American deaths & wounded for no gaain

-- It''s you conservatives who are responsible with the inability of our own military to field troops for Afhaganistan now or in the near future.

-- It''s you conservatives who can''t get Nato on board

-- It''s you conservatives who Failed at Middle East Peace

-- It''s you conservatives who Failed to get OBL & escellated Global Terrorism

----------- On & On It Goes ---------

[trishab4]

No matter his irrational temper, his two-faced approached to lobbyists, his active cancer, and his tendency to fall asleep. Whoops. I am commenting on the wrong article.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by kissamaarse at 12:11 AM : Apr 03, 2008

-Funny one !

[tbweb]

The U.S. is operating on "vapors" due to serious missteps and miscalculations by the Bush mis-administration, and needs to regain its military readiness and financial footing prior to attempting any new initiatives.

[jb01201a]

well lookie here:
This idiot actually think''''s that the world still listens to his ranting''''s! Manson made more sense and he is a extreme moron! Let''''s destabilize the middle east by attacking the only country that held Iran in check, GOOD JOB DUMBA$$!!!

Wow, what an incredible intelligent post ! and from a schmuck lib ! and barrack or hill will save us all ! Wow, I feel safe now !

[jerr11]

Perhaps the 935 LIES have something to do with his slightly diminished standing in world affairs?

LOL

[andrew_693]

Bush has no credibility in the world. The only people that believe in his lost cause are the lunatics from the republican party.

[kissamaarse]

John McCain divorced his first wife when she got disfigured in an auto accident, and then married the rich woman who he was having an affair with, Cindy. Cindy took McCain from his bureaucratic position in D.C., where McCain was riding his father''s coat-tails, to Arizona, and her money turned McCain into a politician. No matter his irrational temper, his two-faced approached to lobbyists, his active cancer, and his tendency to fall asleep. Whoops. I am commenting on the wrong article.

[ubrew12]

Gosh. All Bush did was move missile ''defense'' batteries to Poland to ''protect'' us from ''Iranian'' missiles (thereby alarming the Russians who know these are actually directed at them and could start WWIII in response, targetting W Europe first).

Why wouldn''t the rest of NATO want more former Soviet Republics to enter our sphere of influence??

[rebelscout]

This idiot actually think''s that the world still listens to his ranting''s! Manson made more sense and he is a extreme moron! Let''s destabilize the middle east by attacking the only country that held Iran in check, GOOD JOB DUMBA$$!!!

[rebelscout]

Hopefully we end up with a president that will be able to restore our standing in the world. They are gonna have to dig their way out of a hole full of $hit to make it work!

[trishab4]

"It looks like to me that the ingredients are coming together where that could be a distinct possibility," Mr. Bush said. "And that would be a very important statement because NATO could assure its members and the people within NATO that there would be defenses available to prevent a Middle Eastern nation, for example, from launching a strike which could harm our security."

-Is he talking about Israel?

[kissamaarse]

Perhaps to America''s chagrin, but the point is that the Allies of many years said b-i-a-c-h to Bush for slapping them for almost 7.5 years with his high-handed unilateralism. America could have done better with a town trustee as president than it has done with Bush-Cheney.

[beehive21-2009]

Foolish BS,they are allies and always have been and will be in the future.