Brussels, Feb 20: NATO brought to a close on Wednesday one of the stormiest chapters in its 54-year history, approving the deployment of defence equipment to Turkey which fears counter-attack in the event of a war in Iraq.
The decision was taken by the Defence Planning Committee -- a forum of the 19-nation alliance on which France does not sit. France had blocked military planning to bolster the defences of NATO member Turkey for a month.
Diplomats said the United States and some other NATO members sought a statement welcoming the move at a meeting of all 19 allied ambassadors later, but retreated quickly when it became clear that France was prepared only to "take note" of it.
The 18-nation Defence Planning Committee agreed to deploy AWACS early warning aircraft, Patriot air defence missile systems and chemical-biological response units in southern Turkey, a likely launchpad for any US-led strike on Baghdad.
Bureau Report
