NATO Readies Reconciliation on French Riviera

[Up2Late]

Tue Feb 8, 2005 12:47 PM ET
By Mark John

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO defense chiefs will try to put differences on Iraq behind them and agree to do more in Afghanistan at a meeting in France starting Wednesday, two weeks before President Bush visits Europe.

The talks in Nice, the NATO defense ministers' first meeting on French soil for four decades, will prepare the ground for a Feb. 22 Brussels summit where the alliance's 26 members hope finally to end a two-year feud over the Iraq war.

U.S. defense chief Donald Rumsfeld will urge European allies in the Riviera city to prove the rift is over by offering more troops for missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Just hours earlier, new Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will make a separate visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels to assure the 56-year-old alliance it remains at the heart of U.S. planning for security and defense.

"This is a period of intensive U.S. engagement in NATO," U.S. NATO envoy Nicholas Burns told a news briefing.
(more at link)
<http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7571150§ion=news>

[Spazito]

1. But didn't bush say all was well in Afghanistan during...

the election? Gosh, does this mean he LIED???

What isn't being said here is that the EU is looking at forming their own 'NATO' and it does NOT include the US, that's why this flurry of courting going on.

How dumb do they think NATO members are, one has to ask. Being called irrelevant at one point and then trying to sell the 'best buddies' crap the next.

[Up2Late]

2. I like the fact that they are meeting in Nice, France

Maybe they figure that at least they don't have to worry about * Showing up in France, or maybe they figure, if He did show up, they would all get a few good laughs when he calls the city Nice (pronounced like "what a 'nice' day") instead of Niece? :evilgrin:

[Up2Late]

3. Kick n/t

:kick: