Stop NATO news: February 12, 2012

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Turkey: NATO Could Its Invoke Its Article 5 For War Against Syria

NATO Ground Forces Operational Headquarters To Be Built In Turkey

Turkish Warplanes Strike Kurdish Targets In Northern Iraq

CNN Poll: Should NATO Intervene In Syria?

Report: British Special Forces In Syria

Pentagon To Upgrade 30,000-Pound Earth Penetrator Bombs

NATO ABM: New-Generation Russian Radar Put On Combat Duty

NATO Still Considering Israeli Missile Ship Participation

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Turkey: NATO Could Its Invoke Its Article 5 For War Against Syria

http://www.sundayszaman.com/sunday/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=271159

Sunday’s Zaman
February 12, 2012

NATO intervention in Syria depends on allies’ political choice
Gozde Nur Donat

ANKARA: [If] millions [sic] of refugees to flee to Turkey’s southern border, some analysts claim this would potentially constitute an Article V situation, which could lead Ankara to call for a NATO collective defense initiative.

The failed resolution on Syria at the UN Security Council, which was rejected after Russia and China vetoed the proposals, has led some to speculate that Turkey, along with its NATO allies, may intervene in Syria to check the growing crisis. Experts suggest that the political will of the NATO allies is a decisive factor in whether or not Article V is invoked, which is a distinct possibility if Turkey finds itself facing a refugee crisis that cannot be handled alone.

In an interview with Sunday’s Zaman last week, İlter Turan, professor of political science at İstanbul Bilgi University, claimed that “any decision on Syrian intervention that is not backed by the UN would be not a legal, but a political, choice.”

NATO’s “right to collective defense” does not require the UN to pass a resolution authorizing such an intervention, but it would be desirable to have the UN on board if NATO takes military action. Whether or not NATO launches an intervention will be the sole decision of treaty partners, who will assess the severity of the perceived threat.

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An example of NATO using force as a result of political choice is the US operations in Afghanistan beginning on Oct. 7, 2001. The invasion was justified by the US under the terms of NATO’s Article V, which ensures that if a NATO ally is the victim of an attack, each and every other member of the organization will consider this as an act of violence against all members and will provide assistance.

…Intervention was justified under the terms of Article V, although some claimed that NATO violated the UN charter by doing so because the UNSC did not specify a right to self-defense in its 2001 resolutions. Furthermore, there was no investigation proving an al-Qaeda involvement in the Sept. 11 attacks that was internationally accepted as being legal.

In another case, a cyber attack allegedly launched by Russia against NATO member Estonia’s government networks in 2006 led to discussion over whether it could be interpreted as constituting an Article V incident, but NATO investigators were unable to find evidence that the attack was the work of the Russian government.

…

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NATO Ground Forces Operational Headquarters To Be Built In Turkey

http://vestnikkavkaza.net/news/politics/22972.html

Vestnik Kavkaza
February 12, 2012

Operational headquarters of NATO ground forces to be built in Izmir, Turkey

In the near future Izmir in Turkey will host the operational headquarters of NATO ground forces, which will be of great importance for the Alliance, NATO Secretary General Anders Rasmussen told a meeting dedicated to the 60th anniversary of Turkey’s membership in NATO, Turkish media reports.

“I appreciate the significant contribution of Turkey to our operations in the Balkans, in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Libya, as well as the recent announcement of the placing of the ABM systems on Turkish territory,” he said.

According to Rasmussen, Turkey itself has asked to install the NATO missile defense system radars on its territory. Noting the important role of Turkey in world history, Rasmussen said that since the “cold war” this country had “maintained its position on the world stage.”

“Turkey’s role in the “cold war” was decisive. A new security system was established later, and I think that the recent events have proved the significant role of Turkey. Events in North Africa and the Middle East have shown that Turkey still is and will continue to be important,” he said.

Rasmussen said that he considered Turkey a strong and important ally, not only due to its geographical location, but also its historical, cultural and religious values.

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Turkish Warplanes Strike Kurdish Targets In Northern Iraq

http://en.trend.az/regions/met/turkey/1991219.html

Trend News Agency
February 12, 2012

Turkish warplanes strike PKK targets in northern Iraq

Turkish fighter jets have carried out air strikes on two targets in northern Iraq in an ongoing campaign to counter…Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) members hiding in camps there, the Turkish military said on Sunday, Today’s Zaman reported.

The statement the General Staff posted online early on Sunday said Turkish Air Force jets “successfully” hit a PKK cave and shelter in the Zap and Hakurk regions of northern Iraq on Saturday night…

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In December, warplanes targeted smugglers mistaken for PKK members, killing 34 civilians. The incident saw the highest civilian death toll in a day during Turkey’s 27-year drive against the PKK. The attack sparked demonstrations across Turkey.

The PKK has been fighting for autonomy in Turkey’s largely Kurdish Southeast since 1984…

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CNN Poll: Should NATO Intervene In Syria?

http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/10/should-nato-intervene-in-syria-2/

CNN
February 10, 2012

Should NATO intervene in Syria?
Yes
No
It depends
Vote

 
Back in August 2011, we posed this question on the Global Public Square. Around 23,000 people responded.
67% said yes.
30% said no.
The remainder said it depends.
What do you all think now?
(Remember, this is not a scientific poll.)

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Report: British Special Forces In Syria

http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=139779

Pakistan Observer
February 12, 2012

British Special Forces in Syria
Akhtar Jamal

-The Daily Telegraph reported that former terrorist turned Libyan rebel leader Abdulhakim Belhadj, now head of the Tripoli Military Council, “met with Free Syrian Army leaders in Istanbul and on the border with Turkey,” after being sent there by Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the interim Libyan president.
Belhadj is the former front man for the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), designated as a terrorist organization by the US State Department. Belhadj was captured by the CIA in Malaysia in 2003 and extradited to Libya where Colonel Gaddafi had him imprisoned.

Islamabad: According to a report by Israeli intelligence outfit DEBKAFile British Special Forces are on the ground in Syria directing rebel fighters in a repeat of how Libyan rebels were aided in the overthrow of Colonel Gaddafi.

DEBKAfile’s exclusive military and intelligence sources were quoted as saying that foreign units are not engaging in direct combat but are acting in an advisory capacity, while also relaying requests for arms outside of the country.

The report claimed that “British and Qatari special operations units are operating with rebel forces under cover in the Syrian city of Homs 162 kilometers from Damascus.

The report suggested that the situation in Syria is developing in an almost identical manner to how rebels in Libya were aided by British and French Special Forces.

The report added that the same Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorists who fought U.S. troops in Iraq and helped NATO powers overthrow Colonel Gaddafi were airlifted into Syria to aid rebels there in attempting to topple President Bashar al-Assad in November last year.

Meanwhile the British Daily Telegraph reported that former terrorist turned Libyan rebel leader Abdulhakim Belhadj, now head of the Tripoli Military Council, “met with Free Syrian Army leaders in Istanbul and on the border with Turkey,” after being sent there by Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the interim Libyan president.

Belhadj is the former front man for the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), designated as a terrorist organization by the US State Department. Belhadj was captured by the CIA in Malaysia in 2003 and extradited to Libya where Colonel Gaddafi had him imprisoned.

Belhadj is a committed jihadist who fought with the Taliban against U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Libyan rebel leader Abdel-Hakim al-Hasidi admitted that Belhadj’s LIFG fighters were the second-largest cohort of foreign fighters in Iraq.

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Pentagon To Upgrade 30,000-Pound Earth Penetrator Bombs

http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2012/02/11/267439-US-military-trying-to-upgrade-30-000-pound-bunker-buster-bomb.html

Asian News International
February 11, 2012

US military trying to upgrade 30,000-pound bunker buster bomb

Washington: The US military’s 30,000-pound bunker buster bomb called the Massive Ordnance Penetrator requires an “urgent” upgrade, Pentagon officials have said.

US officials are trying to ensure that 20 of the bombs are battle-ready though they have been tight-lipped on potential targets, Fox News reports.

The bomb has been developed by the air force in conjunction with Boeing to attack concrete bunkers and tunnel facilities, and the Pentagon has requested 81 million dollar in reallocated funds from Congress to get it ready for use.

Defense appropriators on Capitol Hill granted the request, just a month after Iran announced it would begin uranium enrichment at a hardened underground facility near Qom in the Fardow mountain range.

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The MOP is delivered by a B-2 or B-52 bomber plane.

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Meanwhile, Israel successfully tested the upgraded radar for its Arrow Missile Defense shield that it jointly developed with the Pentagon.

The Blue Sparrow 2 missile was fired from an undisclosed location deep in the Mediterranean Sea towards Israel.

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NATO ABM: New-Generation Russian Radar Put On Combat Duty

http://english.ruvr.ru/2012/02/11/65851071.html

Voice of Russia
February 11, 2012

Russia deploys new missile warning radar
Alexander Vatutin

       
A new-generation radar of the Voronezh class has been put on combat duty outside St. Petersburg as part of this country’s early warning system.

Two other Voronezh class radars are already operating in a test mode in Krasnodar region and in Russia’s westernmost exclave of Kaliningrad. Another one, near the Siberian city of Irkutsk, will go online later this year, and the Defense Ministry is mulling Voronezh radars for five more Russian regions soon.

The Voronezh class radars are a serious breakthrough compared to the previous generation radars. They are quick to install, more accurate and upgradable too.

The Voronezh-class radars are designed to work in sync with the missile defense ring around Moscow and also to keep an eye on space objects. All this meaning that Russia is deploying a new system of space defense with an effective operational range of up to 6,000 kilometers.

The current overhaul of Russia’s missile defenses is also due to the new strategic challenges presented by the US-led missile shield plans in Europe and also missile threats posed by the so-called rogue states – Iran and North Korea.

Russia has every reason to believe that the US-proposed European missile defense system being developed by NATO may in the next few years pose a real threat to Russia and despite all talk about a joint Russia-NATO missile shield, Moscow’s western partners still avoid making any definitive commitments on this all-important issue. Hence the decision to deploy Voronezh radars in the Russian northwest, says defense expert Vladimir Yevseyev. 

“These radars can be integrated into a common early warning system with NATO’s because they can cover areas not covered by US radars. As to their ability to counter the US anti-missiles in Europe, I think we will also need offensive missile complexes there…”

This, however, will only happen if Russia’s legitimate security concerns  are ignored by the West.

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NATO Still Considering Israeli Missile Ship Participation

http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=257443

Jerusalem Post
February 12, 2012

NATO still considering Israeli participation in naval op
By Yaakov Katz

Announcement comes in response to exclusive ‘Post’ report that Turkey torpedoed Israeli plan to contribute missile ship to mission.

NATO said on Friday that it is still considering an Israeli request to contribute missile ships to a naval operation in the Mediterranean Sea, despite opposition by Turkey.

NATO’s announcement came in response to an exclusive Jerusalem Post report that Turkish opposition had torpedoed an Israeli plan to contribute a missile ship to Active Endeavor, an operation launched after 9/11 to patrol the Mediterranean and share information concerning terrorism and suspicious ships.

The Post revealed that Turkey decided to oppose Israel’s participation in the operation following the Israel Navy raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla in 2010 during which nine Turkish nationals were killed.

According to Today’s Zaman, NATO said that Israel’s offer was still being evaluated. The paper also quoted a Turkish foreign ministry official who confirmed that Turkey had succeeded in preventing Israel from participating in the mission.

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