Italy: Parliament Approves Troops

The Italian Parliament yesterday approved deployment of 2,700 troops—including specialists in nuclear, chemical and biological warfare—to support the U.S.-led campaign in Afghanistan (see GSN, Nov. 7).

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U.S. Likely to Delay Restructuring of U.N. Sanctions on Iraq

The United States is likely to delay its efforts to restructure U.N. economic sanctions on Iraq and instead accept a continuation of the current oil-for-food program for another six months, U.S. and diplomatic sources told the Washington Post.  Senior U.S. officials have not made a final decision on whether they will delay plans to promote a plan for so-called smart sanctions—designed to alleviate restrictions on civilian goods while tightening controls on military-oriented imports—but "that's where we seem to be going," a State Department official told the Post.

Since early in U.S. President George W. Bush's term, administration officials have said they wanted to change the sanctions system when it comes up for renewal Dec. 3.  The sanctions were imposed after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990.

Russia, which has said it wants to suspend sanctions against Iraq, has opposed the U.S. restructuring plan and could veto the proposal in the U.N. Security Council.  Since the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington, the United States has placed priority on Russian assistance in anti-terrorism efforts and negotiations to modify the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty to allow U.S. plans to develop a national missile defense system.  The United States therefore prefers to avoid an argument with Russia over sanctions, U.S. sources told the Post.

Another possible reason to delay action on sanctions could be concerns that restructuring the sanctions might create the impression the United States was easing pressure on Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.  "There is some concern that any refining changes to the sanctions regime could be seen as lessening the burden on Saddam Hussein ... It's not the message the U.S. would like to send" in the current anti-terrorism atmosphere, said one diplomat.

The United States, however, has come under strong criticism that the sanctions cause suffering among Iraqi civilians, and easing prohibitions on civilian-oriented goods could improve the U.S. image in the Middle East (Alan Sipress, Washington Post, Nov. 7).

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Germany: Schroeder Supports U.S. With 3,900 Troops

Germany plans to send 3,900 troops to support U.S. military action against Afghanistan (see GSN, Nov. 6), German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder announced yesterday.  The force would include 800 troops with Fuchs armored vehicles that can detect biological, chemical and nuclear material. 

The deployment would send German forces farther beyond German borders than they have been since World War II.  The decision may face legal hurdles, however, since Schroeder made the announcement without first gaining parliamentary approval, according to the Washington Post.  The German constitution requires approval by the lower house of Parliament to send German troops beyond NATO soil (Peter Finn, Washington Post, Nov. 7).

Italy

Meanwhile, the Italian Parliament is expected today to formally approve the deployment of 2,700 troops to support the coalition against Afghanistan (see GSN, Nov. 5).  “No one should delude themselves into thinking that the war against terrorism will be brief, painless and limited.  But we must be aware that this is a struggle of civilization against barbarity,” Italian Defense Minister Antonio Martino told the Parliament.

Britain, France and Turkey have also made commitments to provide specific support to the U.S.-led war (BBC News, Nov. 7).

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First Committee: Multilateralism Endorsed as Committee Completes Work

The U.N. First Committee on Disarmament (see GSN, Nov. 6) completed its work for the year yesterday, approving a draft resolution on the importance of multilateralism.

The draft resolution would assert that multilateralism is a core principle in maintaining international security and would call on U.N. members to maintain and strengthen universal norms of nonproliferation and disarmament.  The committee approved the draft resolution without a vote.

This year, the committee approved 51 draft texts, the bulk of which addressed nuclear weapons and related issues.  The approved texts also included resolutions on biological and chemical weapons and several measures on small arms, landmines, and regional disarmament efforts (U.N. release, Nov. 6).

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Germany: Ministers Discussing Deployment

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder planned to meet this morning with key ministers to discuss options for giving military assistance—including Fuchs armored vehicles equipped for detecting biological and chemical weapons—to the United States for the war in Afghanistan, the Berliner Zeitung told Reuters (see GSN, Oct. 19).

The United States requested far-reaching military assistance from Germany, but such a move could strain the ruling parliamentary coalition, according to Reuters. Co-leader Claudia Roth of the Greens party, which forms a coalition with Schroeder’s own Social Democratic Party, has called for a stop to the U.S. bombing. Schroeder was expected to meet with the leaders of the country’s main political parties before announcing a decision later this morning (Reuters/New York Times, Nov. 6).

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First Committee: Four Nuclear Resolutions Approved

The U.N. First Committee on Disarmament approved four draft resolutions on nuclear weapon issues in two sessions yesterday (see GSN, Nov. 5).

A draft resolution that would merely note that a conference was meeting next week to discuss the entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty was brought to a vote on the insistence of the United States.  The draft resolution passed by a vote of 140-1 with no abstentions.

The U.S. representative said he was compelled to call for the vote, and oppose the  draft resolution, because the United States did not support the CTBT.  The Bush administration has no plans to ratify the treaty, although it intends to continue the U.S. testing moratorium that has been in place since 1992, the representative said.  He urged all nations to maintain such existing moratoriums.

A draft resolution on nuclear disarmament passed by a vote of 90-35, with 19 abstentions.  The draft resolution would call on the general assembly to urge nuclear weapon states to stop improving and deploying nuclear weapons and their delivery systems.  It would also call for concrete measures to reduce the operational status of nuclear weapon systems.

Of the nuclear weapon states, only China supported the draft resolution.  A Chinese representative urged the United States and Russia to reduce their nuclear weapon arsenals, thereby making it possible for the other nuclear weapon states to participate in the reduction process.

A draft resolution to call for a U.N. conference on eliminating nuclear dangers passed by a vote of 101-7, with 34 abstentions.  The draft resolution would call for the general assembly to someday consider holding such a conference.

China and Russia supported the measure, while the other nuclear weapon states opposed it.  A British representative, speaking for France and the United States as well, said the draft resolution’s approach conflicted with the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and would not contribute to nuclear disarmament (U.N. release I, Nov. 5).

A fourth draft resolution on nuclear weapons, approved by a vote of 123-2, with 20 abstentions, would call on the United States and Russia to undertake deep reductions in their nuclear arsenals and other disarmament measures, including implementation of the CTBT.  The United States and India opposed the draft resolution.

The U.S. representative said U.S. opposition was based, again, on its opposition to the CTBT.  The Indian representative said he voted against the draft resolution because India does not support the NPT (U.N. release II, Nov. 5).

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Disarmament Commission: Dates for 2002 Session Deferred

The U.N. Disarmament Commission decided Friday to defer a decision on the dates for its substantive session in 2002 due to a full spring calendar that includes preparatory meetings for the 2005 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference.  The commission agreed to continue considering ways and means to achieve nuclear disarmament at its next session. 

Mario Maiolini of Italy, the newly elected chairman of the commission, said consensus on nuclear disarmament was politically feasible and practically attainable (U.N. release, Nov. 2).

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First Committee: ABM is a Global Treaty

The U.N. First Committee on Disarmament voted Friday to strengthen and preserve the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and emphasize its importance in stabilizing strategic relations around the globe. The resolution, which was sponsored by Russia, passed by a vote of 80-3, with 63 abstentions. The United States, Israel and Micronesia voted against.

The U.S. representative said the ABM Treaty should only be of interest to the members of the treaty. Pakistan’s representative, who voted for the resolution, said that the treaty is important not just to its signatories but also to global and regional strategic stability. France’s representative, who abstained from the vote, said that the international balance of power should be redefined, but cautioned against scrapping the international legal system.

The committee approved a draft resolution on nuclear weapons in the Middle East 139-3-7. Representatives of Israel and the United States said the resolution, which calls upon Israel to join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and give up any nuclear weapons, is one-sided in its focus on Israel.

The committee also approved the following draft resolutions: on establishing nuclear weapon-free zones in the Southern Hemisphere and adjacent areas, 141-4-5; on preventing an arms race in outer space, 145-0-3; and on affirming the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty, passed without a vote.

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Italy: Weapons Specialists to Join U.S. Campaign

The United States over the weekend formally accepted an offer to use Italian military specialists in nuclear, chemical and biological warfare in the campaign against terrorism. The Associated Press reported today that the Italian Parliament was expected to approve the deployment of up to 1,000 troops. In addition to the specialists in weapons of mass destruction, the deployment would include an armored regiment, attack helicopters, fighter jets and four warships (Associated Press/Chicago Tribune, Nov. 5).

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