Double Franco-Belgian veto with the American requests on Iraq
The secretary-general of NATO George Robertson on February 6 in Brussels
France and Belgium opposed Monday morning to NATO their veto with the American requests for support in the event of conflict in Iraq, by formally notifying their dissension with the secretary-general of Alliance George Robertson, one learned from official sources.
Following this double veto, the ambassadors of NATO were to hold a meeting of crisis in Brussels with 10h30 local (09h30 GMT), announced Alliance.
"the French have just broken silence", declared little after 09H00 (08H00 GMT) a person in charge for NATO, in reference to the procedure known as of "silence" set in motion last Thursday by Lord Robertson to force a decision of Allied on the requests of the United States. A spokesman of the Belgian ministry of the Foreign Affairs confirmed on his side of information of diplomatic source according to which Belgium had made in the same way.
The "procedure of silence" implies that the Member States notify by letter their opposition to a decision, or else this one is automatically regarded as accepted. The head of the Belgian diplomacy Louis Michel had announced as of Sunday that its country, "with France" and perhaps also Germany, would oppose its veto to the American requests for support in the event of conflict in Iraq, which relate in particular to the protection of Turkey.
The American Secretary of State Colin Powell had immediately denounced such a veto like "inexcusable".