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NATO facing 'credibility crisis': U.S.

BRUSSELS Feb 10. NATO faces a ``crisis of credibility'' after three countries blocked the alliance from supporting Turkey in the event of a war on Iraq, said the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Nicholas Burns, today.

``Because of this action NATO is now facing a crisis of credibility,'' Mr. Burns told reporters after France, Belgium and Germany vetoed a U.S. request for the alliance to begin military planning.

``That is a most unfortunate decision by three allies,'' the U.S. envoy said, following a meeting of NATO's policy-making North Atlantic Council (NAC) of 19 Ambassadors.

At the meeting Turkey, a NATO ally which would be on the frontline of any war in Iraq, formally invoked a key article of NATO's founding treaty aimed at putting pressure for agreement to defend its territory.

A senior NATO official lambasted the European trio's positions as illogical and politically-motivated. ``These are political calculations which are driving the strategy,'' he said, adding that, ``There are many contradictions behind these three countries' positions.''

Meanwhile, in London Britain today played down the crisis within NATO over Iraq, with a Downing Street spokesman saying the question of beefing up Turkey's defenses in the event of a US-led war was still up for debate.

The deadlock is ``very serious'' but a solution could be at hand, the alliance's Secretary-General, George Robertson, said today.

Speaking after Turkey formally sought NATO consultations for defence of its territory in the event of a U S-led war in Iraq, Mr. Robertson said: ``There is a very heated argument inside NATO on the timing (of deploying help to Turkey) and clearly...that argument is of a very serious nature.''

``But at the same time I think people are focussing on it now in a very determined way. Turkey has asked for consultations under Article 4 (of the NATO treaty) and many of the countries concerned believe that that now focuses in an unavoidable way on Turkey and its defence,'' Mr. Robertson told a news conference.

``That may well...help to lead to a solution to the present problem,'' he added.

Ankara sought the consultations after France, Belgium and Germany blocked proposals to start planning for the deployment of AWACS plane, Patriot missiles and anti-chemical and anti-biological warfare teams to Turkey.

— AFP/Reuters

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