NATO to Meet After France, Belgium Block on Iraq
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO called a special meeting of its 19 nations' envoys for 4:30 EST on Monday after France and Belgium blocked planning for steps to defend Turkey in the event of a war against Iraq, an official said.
"The Belgians have just broken too," an alliance official said, minutes after France "broke the silence" in a procedure under which each of the allies had until 4 a.m. EST to raise objections.
France, Germany and Belgium have argued that preparations for war, even the defense of Turkey, could undermine diplomatic efforts to avert a conflict in Iraq.
Had no member voiced opposition, the 19-member alliance would have started planning to reinforce Turkey's defenses with AWACS surveillance planes, Patriot missiles and special anti-chemical and biological warfare teams.
There was no word on whether Germany had also raised an objection ahead of the deadline, though diplomats had said over the weekend that it was likely to fall into line with the majority of allies.
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