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Lawmakers blast NATO trio for Turkey standoff
BRUSSELS, Belgium (CNN) -- U.S. lawmakers Wednesday blasted three NATO members who refused to go along with a U.S.-backed proposal to protect Turkey, NATO's only Islamic partner, from Iraq. The emergency talks -- in their third day Wednesday -- will resume Thursday, according to NATO diplomats. France, Germany and Belgium have said the plan to send U.S. surveillance planes, Patriot missiles and chemical and biological detection teams to Turkey now would hurt efforts to win a peaceful solution to the Iraq crisis. But that position didn't sway one lawmaker, who said the three were not living up to the principle of the military alliance, which holds that an attack against one member is an attack against all of them. "The failure of these states to honor their commitments is beneath contempt," said Rep. Tom Lantos, D-California. He also recalled how the U.S. military protected the three countries during the Cold War. "Had it not been for our military commitment, France, Germany and Belgium today would be Soviet Socialist Republics," he said while the House International Relations Committee heard testimony from Secretary of State Colin Powell. (Full story) The committee's chairman, Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Illinois, was also disturbed that the three countries were balking at coming to the aid of Turkey. "America has fought distant wars to defend whole continents from a succession of aggressors, but the beneficiaries of the safety we have ensured often devote their energies to impeding our efforts to help others," Hyde said. French President Jacques Chirac did promise Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer Wednesday that France "would assume its obligations if Turkey were really threatened," Chirac's spokeswoman, Catherine Colonna, told The Associated Press. Earlier, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said he hoped the NATO impasse could be resolved. And he also said Germany would honor its NATO commitments in case of war with Iraq. But despite those promises, NATO spokesman Yves Brodeur said, "There is no change in the positions of the countries that could not agree to the new proposal." A senior NATO official said that the new plan, introduced by Secretary-General George Robertson, makes changes "for presentational purposes" to satisfy the concerns of France, Germany and Belgium. The official said the major changes concern the elimination of aspects of the proposal that don't relate directly to Turkey but that the United States wants. Those include having NATO supply troops to the Balkans to replace any forces removed to participate in a war with Iraq, and providing security to U.S. bases in Europe. The United States agreed to work with the bases' home countries on a bilateral basis to provide security, the official said. Diplomats from the three countries have talked about waiting to approve any plan until after the Security Council gets its second report from the U.N. weapons inspectors Friday. "The issue here is not whether, it is when, that has not changed, it is still a timing issue," Brodeur said. "They still feel that the time is not right for NATO to make a decision." Nicholas Burns, U.S. ambassador to NATO, said the latest plan moved the alliance into "a new phase of discussion" and would allow the United States to send planes, missiles and personnel to defend Turkey, NATO's only Islamic member state. "The U.S. stands by the principle that all of the allies are obliged to assist Turkey in its defense," Burns said. Turkey has agreed to allow the United States to upgrade its bases and ports for possible use in military action against Iraq. Turkey's parliament is to vote February 18 on whether it will allow U.S. troops to use the bases. The United States has made clear that it will take steps to defend Turkey with or without NATO backing, but would prefer the full power of NATO. "Turkey will be defended," Powell said Wednesday. "We've already figured out how." European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Wednesday he is certain NATO members will soon patch the split. "I can guarantee you that if Turkey needs help, the help will be given by all the members of the NATO alliance," the former NATO secretary-general said. Solana was in Seoul to meet with top South Korean officials on EU-South Korea relations and the nuclear issue involving North Korea. (Full story) Also Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis headed to Washington for an emergency meeting with U.S. officials. Yakis played down the NATO rift as he departed. "This is not a question of whether or not NATO will support Turkey in a war," Yakis told reporters. White House press secretary Ari Fleischer Wednesday said President Bush "would like to see as much unanimity as possible" on the European continent. The president thinks it's vital that the people and governments of Europe "not turn their back" on Turkey, and he knows a majority of them won't, Fleischer said. There continue to be "a small number of European nations that continue to isolate themselves from their fellow Europeans," he said -- a situation he called "regrettable." NATO has weathered storms of disagreement in the past over issues such as the Vietnam War, Pershing missiles in Europe, and Kosovo. NATO diplomats say this crisis -- with a potential to sour transatlantic relations -- is one of the worst. -- CNN Correspondents Matthew Chance and James Martone contributed to this report.
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