NATO’s Iraq deal falls short of US aims

NATO leaders agreed yesterday to help train Iraq’s armed forces just hours after the new government in Baghdad took over sovereignty from a US-led administration.

However, the decision falls short of American hopes that NATO would take a larger role in Iraq.

In a statement adopted at the opening session of a two-day summit, NATO leaders said: “We are united in our support for the Iraqi people and offer full cooperation to the new sovereign interim government as it seeks to strengthen internal security.”

The decision came hours after the US transferred power two days ahead of schedule to the Iraqi administration. US President George Bush marked the transfer with a whispered comment and a handshake with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, gathered with other leaders around a table at the summit in Turkey.

NATO said it would also urgently consider “further proposals to support the nascent Iraqi security institutions.” However, it was unclear how many instructors would be sent to Iraq or when they would leave.

“It is the Iraqi government... and only the Iraqi government that is going to decide” on the training, said NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

The United States had hoped that NATO would assume a major military role in Iraq, perhaps by taking over the command of the multinational division currently led by Poland.

“There was no appetite for sending additional peacekeeping forces,” Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said after meeting with NATO ministers.

The allies remain divided over how to go ahead. France and Germany want a lower profile operation with NATO playing a coordinating role for national training programmes.

Sixteen NATO nations have sent troops to join coalition forces in Iraq, but opposition led by France and Germany has prevented the alliance from taking a collective role there.

“The engagement of NATO is reduced to training and only training. We have made clear that we don't want to see German soldiers in Iraq,” German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said.

US officials hope the training could be a first step to a wider NATO role.

“A formal NATO presence in Iraq is possible,” a senior NATO official said.

Alliance leaders also agreed to expand the NATO peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, raising the level of troops to 10,000 during the September elections from the current 6,500.

“Afghanistan is the key to NATO’s ability to show it can keep its promises,” Mr Schroeder added. “The West must prove that it not only can win military disputes but also can contribute to reconstruction, peace and security.”

Officials said the expansion would include four more permanent peacekeeping teams deployed in northern cities, as well as a temporary increase in troop levels to provide security during the elections.

NATO also agreed to end its mission in Bosnia by December 31 and turn over responsibility for peacekeeping to an EU force.