NATO’s
Defense Planning Committee (DPC)
meets. It agrees that NATO Military Authorities should provide
military advice to the DPC on the feasibility, implications and
timelines of three possible missions:
preventive deployment to Turkey of NATO Airborne
Early Warning Aircraft (AWACS);
support for possible deployment by Allies
of theatre missile defences to Turkey;
support for possible deployment by Allies
of chemical and biological defence capabilities to Turkey.
Decision by the Defence Planning Committee:
NATO to support Turkey within Framework of Article 4 - 16
February 2003
At the Prague Summit, the NATO Allies committed
themselves to take effective action to assist and support the
efforts of the United Nations to ensure full and immediate compliance
by Iraq, without conditions or restrictions, with UN Security
Council Resolution 1441. This remains our policy.
North Atlantic Council meets from 20:00 to
20:45. NATO Spokesman Yves Brodeur says Allies were not able
to conclude their discussions; countries that were not in a
position to go along with the Secretary General’s proposal
in the morning have not changed their position. The Council
is expected to meet again tomorrow, 13 February, at a time to
be determined.
North Atlantic Council meets at 9:45 to consider
a new proposal put forward by the Secretary General Lord Robertson.
NATO Spokesman Yves Brodeur says at press conference that the
general view is that this is a sound basis for further consultations;
the proposal focuses specifically on the defensive needs of
Turkey.
North Atlantic Council meets from 18:00 to
18:20. NATO Spokesman Yves Brodeur says at press conference
there is no conclusion yet on the ongoing discussions. Informal
consultations between Allies will continue in the evening and
night;
Morning
- Turkey invokes Article 4 of the North Atlantic
Treaty. Article 4 states that NATO’s members
will consult together whenever, in the opinion of
any of them, the territorial integrity, political
independence or security of any NATO country is threatened;
Consultations continue;
Afternoon
- Discussions continue; Member countries listen
to a presentation by General Harald Kujat, the Chairman
of the Military Committee, on the nature of the threat
faced by Turkey; Consultations continue.
NATO’s top decision-making body, the
North Atlantic Council, meets to consider a proposal by the United
States to task the Alliance’s military authorities to begin
planning deterrent and defensive measures in relation to a possible
threat to Turkey;
The Council does not reach a conclusion, but
a set of decisions is placed under silence procedure until Monday,
10 February. Silence procedure means that if no member country
voices its opposition by the date and time specified, the decision
is automatically adopted. It is a regular feature of NATO decision-making.