NATO's Next Battle
NATO formally outgrew its Cold War origins Thursday, admitting seven former communist states and focusing on the 21st century fight against terrorism and a possible war on Iraq.
But those efforts had to deal immediately with divisions within the alliance over how best to handle Saddam Hussein. The product was a carefully worded, four-paragraph statement on the Iraqi leader.
"NATO allies stand united in their commitment to take effective action to assist and support the efforts of the U.N. to ensure full and immediate compliance by Iraq, without conditions or restrictions," the statement said.
CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller reports that while the language does not necessarily commit each NATO nation to join in a war against Iraq, the White house wants to be seen as more than satisfied with it. A White House spokesman says the statement is stronger than the administration originally expected.
The pledge was designed to make NATO's logistical and diplomatic assets available to the U.N., though it could be read as offering up the alliance's military support, said a senior Bush administration official.
But the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said neither the United States nor its allies envisions using NATO's military capacity to help enforce the resolution.
While Iraq has dominated the public discourse during the NATO summit so far, the official purpose of the gathering is widening the alliance. In a historic eastward shift, NATO Thursday expanded its membership beyond the borders of the former Soviet Union.
The alliance — which for decades confronted the U.S.S.R. across the barbed-wire divides of Central Europe — formally extended invitations to Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Six of the seven nations regained independence from the Soviet Union barely a decade ago. Slovenia was part of the former Yugoslavia.
The seven will join the alliance in May 2004 after their parliaments and those of North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries ratify the expansion.
Mr. Bush called the reforms the most significant in NATO's 53-year history.
"Today's decision reaffirms our commitment to freedom and our commitment to a Europe that is whole and free and at peace," Mr. Bush told the meeting.
The expansion decision opened a summit designed to transform NATO into a force to fight the dangers of terrorism and renegade governments armed with weapons of mass destruction, rather than the threat of Soviet tank assaults.
During the summit, European allies will pledge to beef up their outdated militaries with smart bombs, anti-germ warfare gear and heavy-lift planes to get troops and equipment to trouble spots quickly. American defense officials have previously complained that NATO countries are not spending enough to keep their militaries strong.
Among the decisions to be taken later Thursday was one to pool elite troops in a 20,000-strong rapid-response force to tackle threats anywhere around the world.
Mr. Bush came here as much to build international support against Iraq as to promote NATO's expansion and modernization. As such, he cast participation in the disarmament of Iraq in personal and moral terms even as he said it was up to the reluctant — like Germany — to decide their own role.
In a meeting with Prime Minister Tony Blair, the American and British leaders restated their desire to see Saddam peacefully surrender his weapons of mass destruction, but both emphasized that there would be war if he does not cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors.
"I think what you'll find here at this NATO summit is a totally united determination on behalf of the international community, reflected in the U.N. resolution, that Saddam Hussein has to disarm himself," Blair said, referring to the Iraqi leader. Otherwise, it will be accomplished by force, the prime minister added.
Earlier, Mr. Bush said he intends to keep Germany as "an important friend of the United States," and had a polite chat with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder — their first encounter since relations soured over Mr. Bush's Iraq policy.
Still, some ill will evidently lingered. Schroeder rode anti-American and anti-war sentiment to re-election earlier this year.
Anti-NATO protesters turned out in surprisingly small numbers Thursday, blaming journalists and police for hyping predictions of large-scale and violent demonstrations. The carried banners saying "Death for Sale" and "NATO Protects the Rich."
Police came out in force to protect the summit, with 12,000 officers sealing the Congress Center with metal fences and concrete blocks.