France and Turkey reach breakthrough Libya deal
Nicolas Sarkozy, who had clashed with Turkey over role of Nato, says new two-tier military structure will be established Western allies and Turkey have reached a breakthrough deal to put the entire military campaign against Muammar Gaddafi under Nato command by next week, senior UK and French sources have told the Guardian. The deal, being finalised at Nato headquarters in Brussels, gives political oversight of the military action to a committee of international coalition partners involved in the Libyan campaign. President Nicolas Sarkozy, who had tried to diminish the role of Nato, conceded, in the face of determined Turkish opposition, that a new two-tier structure will be established to run the operation. Nato “assets” will be used to co-ordinate all aspects of the military campaign against Libya, including enforcement of the no-fly zone, protecting civilians through air strikes, and enforcing a UN arms embargo. Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, conceded that Nato would be in control of the entire operation. Political oversight will be in the hands of a Nato-led committee, modelled on the body that oversees the International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) in Afghanistan. Isaf is led by Nato, but includes countries outside the alliance, such as Australia and New Zealand. The coalition against Libya includes Arab countries, such as Qatar, that are not in Nato. The breakthrough came in a conference call between Hillary Clinton, William Hague, Alain Juppe and their Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu. Turkey and France, which have been involved in bitter exchanges, reached agreement on the new structure. The agreement was put to a meeting of Nato ambassadors in Brussels this afternoon. Diplomatic sources said they “99% there”. One said: “There are a few last minute wrinkles. It has all moved rapidly.” Hague had told MPs he was hopeful of a breakthrough. He said: “On the question of command and control, we are still working some of that out. The simplest and most effective solution is for all of these operations to come under the North Atlantic Council [Nato's main political decision-making body] and for other countries to plug into that, to work with that. “We have made a great deal of progress. “We should understand this is a new coalition, put together very quickly for obvious reasons, and so there are bound to be issues to sort out in its management. But we are getting through those pretty well. I will be discussing the remaining issues with Secretary [Hillary] Clinton and with my French and Turkish counterparts to try to iron out the remaining difficulties on future Nato command and control. The nations involved in this operation – their representatives are able to meet in Brussels on a regular basis.” Earlier, Turkey attacked Sarkozy’s and France’s leadership of the military campaign, accusing the French of lacking a conscience in their conduct of operations. The criticism, from the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the president, Abdullah Gül, followed attacks from the Turkish government earlier this week and signalled an orchestrated attempt by Ankara to wreck Sarkozy’s plans to lead the air campaign against Gaddafi. With France insisting that Nato should not be put in political charge of the UN-mandated air campaign, Turkey has come out emphatically behind sole Nato control of the operations. The row came as France confirmed that one of its fighter jets had destroyed a Libyan air force plane, the first to breach the no-fly zone since it was imposed on 19 March. The Libyan G2/Galeb trainer aircraft was destroyed by an air-to-ground missile just after it landed at an air base near the rebel-held town of Misrata, a French military spokesman said. The clash between Turkey and France over Libya is underpinned by acute frictions between Erdogan and Sarkozy, both impetuous and mercurial leaders who revel in the limelight, by fundamental disputes over Ankara’s EU ambitions, and by economic interests in north Africa. Using incendiary language directed at France in a speech in Istanbul, Erdogan said: “I wish that those who only see oil, gold mines and underground treasures when they look in [Libya's] direction, would see the region through glasses of conscience from now on.” President Gül reinforced the Turkish view that France and others were being driven primarily by economic interests. “The aim [of the air campaign] is not the liberation of the Libyan people,” he said. “There are hidden agendas and different interests.” Earlier this week, Claude Guéant, the French interior minister who was previously Sarkozy’s chief adviser, outraged the Muslim world by stating that the French president was “leading a crusade” to stop Gaddafi massacring Libyans. Erdogan denounced the use of the word ‘crusade’, blaming those– France chief among them – who are opposed to Turkey joining the EU. The Turks are incensed at repeated snubs by Sarkozy. The French failed to invite Turkey to last Saturday’s summit in Paris which presaged the air strikes. French fighters taking off from Corsica struck the first blows. The Turkish government accused Sarkozy of launching not only the no-fly zone, but his presidential re-election campaign. The dispute over Libya appears highly personal, revealing the bad blood simmering between the French president and the Turkish prime minister. Sarkozy went to Turkey last month for the first time in four years as president. But the visit was repeatedly delayed and then downgraded from a state presidential event. He stayed in Turkey for five hours. “Relations between Turkey and France deserve more than this,” complained Erdogan. “I will speak with frankness. We wish to host him as president of France. But he is coming as president of the G20, not as that of France.” While the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is also opposed to Turkey joining the EU, she has voiced her objections moderately, Sarkozy has declared that, culturally, Turkey does not belong in Europe, but in the Middle East. France has blocked tranches of Ankara’s EU negotiations on the grounds that it should not be seen as fit for membership. Libya France Turkey Nicolas Sarkozy Middle East Nato Europe Ian Traynor Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
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France and Turkey reach breakthrough Libya deal
Nicolas Sarkozy, who had clashed with Turkey over role of Nato, says new two-tier military structure will be established Western allies and Turkey have reached a breakthrough deal to put the entire military campaign against Muammar Gaddafi under Nato command by next week, senior UK and French sources have told the Guardian. The deal, being finalised at Nato headquarters in Brussels, gives political oversight of the military action to a committee of international coalition partners involved in the Libyan campaign. President Nicolas Sarkozy, who had tried to diminish the role of Nato, conceded, in the face of determined Turkish opposition, that a new two-tier structure will be established to run the operation. Nato “assets” will be used to co-ordinate all aspects of the military campaign against Libya, including enforcement of the no-fly zone, protecting civilians through air strikes, and enforcing a UN arms embargo. Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, conceded that Nato would be in control of the entire operation. Political oversight will be in the hands of a Nato-led committee, modelled on the body that oversees the International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) in Afghanistan. Isaf is led by Nato, but includes countries outside the alliance, such as Australia and New Zealand. The coalition against Libya includes Arab countries, such as Qatar, that are not in Nato. The breakthrough came in a conference call between Hillary Clinton, William Hague, Alain Juppe and their Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu. Turkey and France, which have been involved in bitter exchanges, reached agreement on the new structure. The agreement was put to a meeting of Nato ambassadors in Brussels this afternoon. Diplomatic sources said they “99% there”. One said: “There are a few last minute wrinkles. It has all moved rapidly.” Hague had told MPs he was hopeful of a breakthrough. He said: “On the question of command and control, we are still working some of that out. The simplest and most effective solution is for all of these operations to come under the North Atlantic Council [Nato's main political decision-making body] and for other countries to plug into that, to work with that. “We have made a great deal of progress. “We should understand this is a new coalition, put together very quickly for obvious reasons, and so there are bound to be issues to sort out in its management. But we are getting through those pretty well. I will be discussing the remaining issues with Secretary [Hillary] Clinton and with my French and Turkish counterparts to try to iron out the remaining difficulties on future Nato command and control. The nations involved in this operation – their representatives are able to meet in Brussels on a regular basis.” Earlier, Turkey attacked Sarkozy’s and France’s leadership of the military campaign, accusing the French of lacking a conscience in their conduct of operations. The criticism, from the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the president, Abdullah Gül, followed attacks from the Turkish government earlier this week and signalled an orchestrated attempt by Ankara to wreck Sarkozy’s plans to lead the air campaign against Gaddafi. With France insisting that Nato should not be put in political charge of the UN-mandated air campaign, Turkey has come out emphatically behind sole Nato control of the operations. The row came as France confirmed that one of its fighter jets had destroyed a Libyan air force plane, the first to breach the no-fly zone since it was imposed on 19 March. The Libyan G2/Galeb trainer aircraft was destroyed by an air-to-ground missile just after it landed at an air base near the rebel-held town of Misrata, a French military spokesman said. The clash between Turkey and France over Libya is underpinned by acute frictions between Erdogan and Sarkozy, both impetuous and mercurial leaders who revel in the limelight, by fundamental disputes over Ankara’s EU ambitions, and by economic interests in north Africa. Using incendiary language directed at France in a speech in Istanbul, Erdogan said: “I wish that those who only see oil, gold mines and underground treasures when they look in [Libya's] direction, would see the region through glasses of conscience from now on.” President Gül reinforced the Turkish view that France and others were being driven primarily by economic interests. “The aim [of the air campaign] is not the liberation of the Libyan people,” he said. “There are hidden agendas and different interests.” Earlier this week, Claude Guéant, the French interior minister who was previously Sarkozy’s chief adviser, outraged the Muslim world by stating that the French president was “leading a crusade” to stop Gaddafi massacring Libyans. Erdogan denounced the use of the word ‘crusade’, blaming those– France chief among them – who are opposed to Turkey joining the EU. The Turks are incensed at repeated snubs by Sarkozy. The French failed to invite Turkey to last Saturday’s summit in Paris which presaged the air strikes. French fighters taking off from Corsica struck the first blows. The Turkish government accused Sarkozy of launching not only the no-fly zone, but his presidential re-election campaign. The dispute over Libya appears highly personal, revealing the bad blood simmering between the French president and the Turkish prime minister. Sarkozy went to Turkey last month for the first time in four years as president. But the visit was repeatedly delayed and then downgraded from a state presidential event. He stayed in Turkey for five hours. “Relations between Turkey and France deserve more than this,” complained Erdogan. “I will speak with frankness. We wish to host him as president of France. But he is coming as president of the G20, not as that of France.” While the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is also opposed to Turkey joining the EU, she has voiced her objections moderately, Sarkozy has declared that, culturally, Turkey does not belong in Europe, but in the Middle East. France has blocked tranches of Ankara’s EU negotiations on the grounds that it should not be seen as fit for membership. Libya France Turkey Nicolas Sarkozy Middle East Nato Europe Ian Traynor Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
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France and Turkey reach breakthrough Libya deal
Nicolas Sarkozy, who had clashed with Turkey over role of Nato, says new two-tier military structure will be established Western allies and Turkey have reached a breakthrough deal to put the entire military campaign against Muammar Gaddafi under Nato command by next week, senior UK and French sources have told the Guardian. The deal, being finalised at Nato headquarters in Brussels, gives political oversight of the military action to a committee of international coalition partners involved in the Libyan campaign. President Nicolas Sarkozy, who had tried to diminish the role of Nato, conceded, in the face of determined Turkish opposition, that a new two-tier structure will be established to run the operation. Nato “assets” will be used to co-ordinate all aspects of the military campaign against Libya, including enforcement of the no-fly zone, protecting civilians through air strikes, and enforcing a UN arms embargo. Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, conceded that Nato would be in control of the entire operation. Political oversight will be in the hands of a Nato-led committee, modelled on the body that oversees the International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) in Afghanistan. Isaf is led by Nato, but includes countries outside the alliance, such as Australia and New Zealand. The coalition against Libya includes Arab countries, such as Qatar, that are not in Nato. The breakthrough came in a conference call between Hillary Clinton, William Hague, Alain Juppe and their Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu. Turkey and France, which have been involved in bitter exchanges, reached agreement on the new structure. The agreement was put to a meeting of Nato ambassadors in Brussels this afternoon. Diplomatic sources said they “99% there”. One said: “There are a few last minute wrinkles. It has all moved rapidly.” Hague had told MPs he was hopeful of a breakthrough. He said: “On the question of command and control, we are still working some of that out. The simplest and most effective solution is for all of these operations to come under the North Atlantic Council [Nato's main political decision-making body] and for other countries to plug into that, to work with that. “We have made a great deal of progress. “We should understand this is a new coalition, put together very quickly for obvious reasons, and so there are bound to be issues to sort out in its management. But we are getting through those pretty well. I will be discussing the remaining issues with Secretary [Hillary] Clinton and with my French and Turkish counterparts to try to iron out the remaining difficulties on future Nato command and control. The nations involved in this operation – their representatives are able to meet in Brussels on a regular basis.” Earlier, Turkey attacked Sarkozy’s and France’s leadership of the military campaign, accusing the French of lacking a conscience in their conduct of operations. The criticism, from the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the president, Abdullah Gül, followed attacks from the Turkish government earlier this week and signalled an orchestrated attempt by Ankara to wreck Sarkozy’s plans to lead the air campaign against Gaddafi. With France insisting that Nato should not be put in political charge of the UN-mandated air campaign, Turkey has come out emphatically behind sole Nato control of the operations. The row came as France confirmed that one of its fighter jets had destroyed a Libyan air force plane, the first to breach the no-fly zone since it was imposed on 19 March. The Libyan G2/Galeb trainer aircraft was destroyed by an air-to-ground missile just after it landed at an air base near the rebel-held town of Misrata, a French military spokesman said. The clash between Turkey and France over Libya is underpinned by acute frictions between Erdogan and Sarkozy, both impetuous and mercurial leaders who revel in the limelight, by fundamental disputes over Ankara’s EU ambitions, and by economic interests in north Africa. Using incendiary language directed at France in a speech in Istanbul, Erdogan said: “I wish that those who only see oil, gold mines and underground treasures when they look in [Libya's] direction, would see the region through glasses of conscience from now on.” President Gül reinforced the Turkish view that France and others were being driven primarily by economic interests. “The aim [of the air campaign] is not the liberation of the Libyan people,” he said. “There are hidden agendas and different interests.” Earlier this week, Claude Guéant, the French interior minister who was previously Sarkozy’s chief adviser, outraged the Muslim world by stating that the French president was “leading a crusade” to stop Gaddafi massacring Libyans. Erdogan denounced the use of the word ‘crusade’, blaming those– France chief among them – who are opposed to Turkey joining the EU. The Turks are incensed at repeated snubs by Sarkozy. The French failed to invite Turkey to last Saturday’s summit in Paris which presaged the air strikes. French fighters taking off from Corsica struck the first blows. The Turkish government accused Sarkozy of launching not only the no-fly zone, but his presidential re-election campaign. The dispute over Libya appears highly personal, revealing the bad blood simmering between the French president and the Turkish prime minister. Sarkozy went to Turkey last month for the first time in four years as president. But the visit was repeatedly delayed and then downgraded from a state presidential event. He stayed in Turkey for five hours. “Relations between Turkey and France deserve more than this,” complained Erdogan. “I will speak with frankness. We wish to host him as president of France. But he is coming as president of the G20, not as that of France.” While the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is also opposed to Turkey joining the EU, she has voiced her objections moderately, Sarkozy has declared that, culturally, Turkey does not belong in Europe, but in the Middle East. France has blocked tranches of Ankara’s EU negotiations on the grounds that it should not be seen as fit for membership. Libya France Turkey Nicolas Sarkozy Middle East Nato Europe Ian Traynor Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
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France and Turkey reach breakthrough Libya deal
Nicolas Sarkozy, who had clashed with Turkey over role of Nato, says new two-tier military structure will be established Western allies and Turkey have reached a breakthrough deal to put the entire military campaign against Muammar Gaddafi under Nato command by next week, senior UK and French sources have told the Guardian. The deal, being finalised at Nato headquarters in Brussels, gives political oversight of the military action to a committee of international coalition partners involved in the Libyan campaign. President Nicolas Sarkozy, who had tried to diminish the role of Nato, conceded, in the face of determined Turkish opposition, that a new two-tier structure will be established to run the operation. Nato “assets” will be used to co-ordinate all aspects of the military campaign against Libya, including enforcement of the no-fly zone, protecting civilians through air strikes, and enforcing a UN arms embargo. Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, conceded that Nato would be in control of the entire operation. Political oversight will be in the hands of a Nato-led committee, modelled on the body that oversees the International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) in Afghanistan. Isaf is led by Nato, but includes countries outside the alliance, such as Australia and New Zealand. The coalition against Libya includes Arab countries, such as Qatar, that are not in Nato. The breakthrough came in a conference call between Hillary Clinton, William Hague, Alain Juppe and their Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu. Turkey and France, which have been involved in bitter exchanges, reached agreement on the new structure. The agreement was put to a meeting of Nato ambassadors in Brussels this afternoon. Diplomatic sources said they “99% there”. One said: “There are a few last minute wrinkles. It has all moved rapidly.” Hague had told MPs he was hopeful of a breakthrough. He said: “On the question of command and control, we are still working some of that out. The simplest and most effective solution is for all of these operations to come under the North Atlantic Council [Nato's main political decision-making body] and for other countries to plug into that, to work with that. “We have made a great deal of progress. “We should understand this is a new coalition, put together very quickly for obvious reasons, and so there are bound to be issues to sort out in its management. But we are getting through those pretty well. I will be discussing the remaining issues with Secretary [Hillary] Clinton and with my French and Turkish counterparts to try to iron out the remaining difficulties on future Nato command and control. The nations involved in this operation – their representatives are able to meet in Brussels on a regular basis.” Earlier, Turkey attacked Sarkozy’s and France’s leadership of the military campaign, accusing the French of lacking a conscience in their conduct of operations. The criticism, from the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the president, Abdullah Gül, followed attacks from the Turkish government earlier this week and signalled an orchestrated attempt by Ankara to wreck Sarkozy’s plans to lead the air campaign against Gaddafi. With France insisting that Nato should not be put in political charge of the UN-mandated air campaign, Turkey has come out emphatically behind sole Nato control of the operations. The row came as France confirmed that one of its fighter jets had destroyed a Libyan air force plane, the first to breach the no-fly zone since it was imposed on 19 March. The Libyan G2/Galeb trainer aircraft was destroyed by an air-to-ground missile just after it landed at an air base near the rebel-held town of Misrata, a French military spokesman said. The clash between Turkey and France over Libya is underpinned by acute frictions between Erdogan and Sarkozy, both impetuous and mercurial leaders who revel in the limelight, by fundamental disputes over Ankara’s EU ambitions, and by economic interests in north Africa. Using incendiary language directed at France in a speech in Istanbul, Erdogan said: “I wish that those who only see oil, gold mines and underground treasures when they look in [Libya's] direction, would see the region through glasses of conscience from now on.” President Gül reinforced the Turkish view that France and others were being driven primarily by economic interests. “The aim [of the air campaign] is not the liberation of the Libyan people,” he said. “There are hidden agendas and different interests.” Earlier this week, Claude Guéant, the French interior minister who was previously Sarkozy’s chief adviser, outraged the Muslim world by stating that the French president was “leading a crusade” to stop Gaddafi massacring Libyans. Erdogan denounced the use of the word ‘crusade’, blaming those– France chief among them – who are opposed to Turkey joining the EU. The Turks are incensed at repeated snubs by Sarkozy. The French failed to invite Turkey to last Saturday’s summit in Paris which presaged the air strikes. French fighters taking off from Corsica struck the first blows. The Turkish government accused Sarkozy of launching not only the no-fly zone, but his presidential re-election campaign. The dispute over Libya appears highly personal, revealing the bad blood simmering between the French president and the Turkish prime minister. Sarkozy went to Turkey last month for the first time in four years as president. But the visit was repeatedly delayed and then downgraded from a state presidential event. He stayed in Turkey for five hours. “Relations between Turkey and France deserve more than this,” complained Erdogan. “I will speak with frankness. We wish to host him as president of France. But he is coming as president of the G20, not as that of France.” While the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is also opposed to Turkey joining the EU, she has voiced her objections moderately, Sarkozy has declared that, culturally, Turkey does not belong in Europe, but in the Middle East. France has blocked tranches of Ankara’s EU negotiations on the grounds that it should not be seen as fit for membership. Libya France Turkey Nicolas Sarkozy Middle East Nato Europe Ian Traynor Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
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France and Turkey reach breakthrough Libya deal
Nicolas Sarkozy, who had clashed with Turkey over role of Nato, says new two-tier military structure will be established Western allies and Turkey have reached a breakthrough deal to put the entire military campaign against Muammar Gaddafi under Nato command by next week, senior UK and French sources have told the Guardian. The deal, being finalised at Nato headquarters in Brussels, gives political oversight of the military action to a committee of international coalition partners involved in the Libyan campaign. President Nicolas Sarkozy, who had tried to diminish the role of Nato, conceded, in the face of determined Turkish opposition, that a new two-tier structure will be established to run the operation. Nato “assets” will be used to co-ordinate all aspects of the military campaign against Libya, including enforcement of the no-fly zone, protecting civilians through air strikes, and enforcing a UN arms embargo. Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, conceded that Nato would be in control of the entire operation. Political oversight will be in the hands of a Nato-led committee, modelled on the body that oversees the International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) in Afghanistan. Isaf is led by Nato, but includes countries outside the alliance, such as Australia and New Zealand. The coalition against Libya includes Arab countries, such as Qatar, that are not in Nato. The breakthrough came in a conference call between Hillary Clinton, William Hague, Alain Juppe and their Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu. Turkey and France, which have been involved in bitter exchanges, reached agreement on the new structure. The agreement was put to a meeting of Nato ambassadors in Brussels this afternoon. Diplomatic sources said they “99% there”. One said: “There are a few last minute wrinkles. It has all moved rapidly.” Hague had told MPs he was hopeful of a breakthrough. He said: “On the question of command and control, we are still working some of that out. The simplest and most effective solution is for all of these operations to come under the North Atlantic Council [Nato's main political decision-making body] and for other countries to plug into that, to work with that. “We have made a great deal of progress. “We should understand this is a new coalition, put together very quickly for obvious reasons, and so there are bound to be issues to sort out in its management. But we are getting through those pretty well. I will be discussing the remaining issues with Secretary [Hillary] Clinton and with my French and Turkish counterparts to try to iron out the remaining difficulties on future Nato command and control. The nations involved in this operation – their representatives are able to meet in Brussels on a regular basis.” Earlier, Turkey attacked Sarkozy’s and France’s leadership of the military campaign, accusing the French of lacking a conscience in their conduct of operations. The criticism, from the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the president, Abdullah Gül, followed attacks from the Turkish government earlier this week and signalled an orchestrated attempt by Ankara to wreck Sarkozy’s plans to lead the air campaign against Gaddafi. With France insisting that Nato should not be put in political charge of the UN-mandated air campaign, Turkey has come out emphatically behind sole Nato control of the operations. The row came as France confirmed that one of its fighter jets had destroyed a Libyan air force plane, the first to breach the no-fly zone since it was imposed on 19 March. The Libyan G2/Galeb trainer aircraft was destroyed by an air-to-ground missile just after it landed at an air base near the rebel-held town of Misrata, a French military spokesman said. The clash between Turkey and France over Libya is underpinned by acute frictions between Erdogan and Sarkozy, both impetuous and mercurial leaders who revel in the limelight, by fundamental disputes over Ankara’s EU ambitions, and by economic interests in north Africa. Using incendiary language directed at France in a speech in Istanbul, Erdogan said: “I wish that those who only see oil, gold mines and underground treasures when they look in [Libya's] direction, would see the region through glasses of conscience from now on.” President Gül reinforced the Turkish view that France and others were being driven primarily by economic interests. “The aim [of the air campaign] is not the liberation of the Libyan people,” he said. “There are hidden agendas and different interests.” Earlier this week, Claude Guéant, the French interior minister who was previously Sarkozy’s chief adviser, outraged the Muslim world by stating that the French president was “leading a crusade” to stop Gaddafi massacring Libyans. Erdogan denounced the use of the word ‘crusade’, blaming those– France chief among them – who are opposed to Turkey joining the EU. The Turks are incensed at repeated snubs by Sarkozy. The French failed to invite Turkey to last Saturday’s summit in Paris which presaged the air strikes. French fighters taking off from Corsica struck the first blows. The Turkish government accused Sarkozy of launching not only the no-fly zone, but his presidential re-election campaign. The dispute over Libya appears highly personal, revealing the bad blood simmering between the French president and the Turkish prime minister. Sarkozy went to Turkey last month for the first time in four years as president. But the visit was repeatedly delayed and then downgraded from a state presidential event. He stayed in Turkey for five hours. “Relations between Turkey and France deserve more than this,” complained Erdogan. “I will speak with frankness. We wish to host him as president of France. But he is coming as president of the G20, not as that of France.” While the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is also opposed to Turkey joining the EU, she has voiced her objections moderately, Sarkozy has declared that, culturally, Turkey does not belong in Europe, but in the Middle East. France has blocked tranches of Ankara’s EU negotiations on the grounds that it should not be seen as fit for membership. Libya France Turkey Nicolas Sarkozy Middle East Nato Europe Ian Traynor Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
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on March 24, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News.
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France and Turkey reach breakthrough Libya deal
Nicolas Sarkozy, who had clashed with Turkey over role of Nato, says new two-tier military structure will be established Western allies and Turkey have reached a breakthrough deal to put the entire military campaign against Muammar Gaddafi under Nato command by next week, senior UK and French sources have told the Guardian. The deal, being finalised at Nato headquarters in Brussels, gives political oversight of the military action to a committee of international coalition partners involved in the Libyan campaign. President Nicolas Sarkozy, who had tried to diminish the role of Nato, conceded, in the face of determined Turkish opposition, that a new two-tier structure will be established to run the operation. Nato “assets” will be used to co-ordinate all aspects of the military campaign against Libya, including enforcement of the no-fly zone, protecting civilians through air strikes, and enforcing a UN arms embargo. Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, conceded that Nato would be in control of the entire operation. Political oversight will be in the hands of a Nato-led committee, modelled on the body that oversees the International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) in Afghanistan. Isaf is led by Nato, but includes countries outside the alliance, such as Australia and New Zealand. The coalition against Libya includes Arab countries, such as Qatar, that are not in Nato. The breakthrough came in a conference call between Hillary Clinton, William Hague, Alain Juppe and their Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu. Turkey and France, which have been involved in bitter exchanges, reached agreement on the new structure. The agreement was put to a meeting of Nato ambassadors in Brussels this afternoon. Diplomatic sources said they “99% there”. One said: “There are a few last minute wrinkles. It has all moved rapidly.” Hague had told MPs he was hopeful of a breakthrough. He said: “On the question of command and control, we are still working some of that out. The simplest and most effective solution is for all of these operations to come under the North Atlantic Council [Nato's main political decision-making body] and for other countries to plug into that, to work with that. “We have made a great deal of progress. “We should understand this is a new coalition, put together very quickly for obvious reasons, and so there are bound to be issues to sort out in its management. But we are getting through those pretty well. I will be discussing the remaining issues with Secretary [Hillary] Clinton and with my French and Turkish counterparts to try to iron out the remaining difficulties on future Nato command and control. The nations involved in this operation – their representatives are able to meet in Brussels on a regular basis.” Earlier, Turkey attacked Sarkozy’s and France’s leadership of the military campaign, accusing the French of lacking a conscience in their conduct of operations. The criticism, from the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the president, Abdullah Gül, followed attacks from the Turkish government earlier this week and signalled an orchestrated attempt by Ankara to wreck Sarkozy’s plans to lead the air campaign against Gaddafi. With France insisting that Nato should not be put in political charge of the UN-mandated air campaign, Turkey has come out emphatically behind sole Nato control of the operations. The row came as France confirmed that one of its fighter jets had destroyed a Libyan air force plane, the first to breach the no-fly zone since it was imposed on 19 March. The Libyan G2/Galeb trainer aircraft was destroyed by an air-to-ground missile just after it landed at an air base near the rebel-held town of Misrata, a French military spokesman said. The clash between Turkey and France over Libya is underpinned by acute frictions between Erdogan and Sarkozy, both impetuous and mercurial leaders who revel in the limelight, by fundamental disputes over Ankara’s EU ambitions, and by economic interests in north Africa. Using incendiary language directed at France in a speech in Istanbul, Erdogan said: “I wish that those who only see oil, gold mines and underground treasures when they look in [Libya's] direction, would see the region through glasses of conscience from now on.” President Gül reinforced the Turkish view that France and others were being driven primarily by economic interests. “The aim [of the air campaign] is not the liberation of the Libyan people,” he said. “There are hidden agendas and different interests.” Earlier this week, Claude Guéant, the French interior minister who was previously Sarkozy’s chief adviser, outraged the Muslim world by stating that the French president was “leading a crusade” to stop Gaddafi massacring Libyans. Erdogan denounced the use of the word ‘crusade’, blaming those– France chief among them – who are opposed to Turkey joining the EU. The Turks are incensed at repeated snubs by Sarkozy. The French failed to invite Turkey to last Saturday’s summit in Paris which presaged the air strikes. French fighters taking off from Corsica struck the first blows. The Turkish government accused Sarkozy of launching not only the no-fly zone, but his presidential re-election campaign. The dispute over Libya appears highly personal, revealing the bad blood simmering between the French president and the Turkish prime minister. Sarkozy went to Turkey last month for the first time in four years as president. But the visit was repeatedly delayed and then downgraded from a state presidential event. He stayed in Turkey for five hours. “Relations between Turkey and France deserve more than this,” complained Erdogan. “I will speak with frankness. We wish to host him as president of France. But he is coming as president of the G20, not as that of France.” While the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is also opposed to Turkey joining the EU, she has voiced her objections moderately, Sarkozy has declared that, culturally, Turkey does not belong in Europe, but in the Middle East. France has blocked tranches of Ankara’s EU negotiations on the grounds that it should not be seen as fit for membership. Libya France Turkey Nicolas Sarkozy Middle East Nato Europe Ian Traynor Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
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France and Turkey reach breakthrough Libya deal
Nicolas Sarkozy, who had clashed with Turkey over role of Nato, says new two-tier military structure will be established Western allies and Turkey have reached a breakthrough deal to put the entire military campaign against Muammar Gaddafi under Nato command by next week, senior UK and French sources have told the Guardian. The deal, being finalised at Nato headquarters in Brussels, gives political oversight of the military action to a committee of international coalition partners involved in the Libyan campaign. President Nicolas Sarkozy, who had tried to diminish the role of Nato, conceded, in the face of determined Turkish opposition, that a new two-tier structure will be established to run the operation. Nato “assets” will be used to co-ordinate all aspects of the military campaign against Libya, including enforcement of the no-fly zone, protecting civilians through air strikes, and enforcing a UN arms embargo. Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, conceded that Nato would be in control of the entire operation. Political oversight will be in the hands of a Nato-led committee, modelled on the body that oversees the International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) in Afghanistan. Isaf is led by Nato, but includes countries outside the alliance, such as Australia and New Zealand. The coalition against Libya includes Arab countries, such as Qatar, that are not in Nato. The breakthrough came in a conference call between Hillary Clinton, William Hague, Alain Juppe and their Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu. Turkey and France, which have been involved in bitter exchanges, reached agreement on the new structure. The agreement was put to a meeting of Nato ambassadors in Brussels this afternoon. Diplomatic sources said they “99% there”. One said: “There are a few last minute wrinkles. It has all moved rapidly.” Hague had told MPs he was hopeful of a breakthrough. He said: “On the question of command and control, we are still working some of that out. The simplest and most effective solution is for all of these operations to come under the North Atlantic Council [Nato's main political decision-making body] and for other countries to plug into that, to work with that. “We have made a great deal of progress. “We should understand this is a new coalition, put together very quickly for obvious reasons, and so there are bound to be issues to sort out in its management. But we are getting through those pretty well. I will be discussing the remaining issues with Secretary [Hillary] Clinton and with my French and Turkish counterparts to try to iron out the remaining difficulties on future Nato command and control. The nations involved in this operation – their representatives are able to meet in Brussels on a regular basis.” Earlier, Turkey attacked Sarkozy’s and France’s leadership of the military campaign, accusing the French of lacking a conscience in their conduct of operations. The criticism, from the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the president, Abdullah Gül, followed attacks from the Turkish government earlier this week and signalled an orchestrated attempt by Ankara to wreck Sarkozy’s plans to lead the air campaign against Gaddafi. With France insisting that Nato should not be put in political charge of the UN-mandated air campaign, Turkey has come out emphatically behind sole Nato control of the operations. The row came as France confirmed that one of its fighter jets had destroyed a Libyan air force plane, the first to breach the no-fly zone since it was imposed on 19 March. The Libyan G2/Galeb trainer aircraft was destroyed by an air-to-ground missile just after it landed at an air base near the rebel-held town of Misrata, a French military spokesman said. The clash between Turkey and France over Libya is underpinned by acute frictions between Erdogan and Sarkozy, both impetuous and mercurial leaders who revel in the limelight, by fundamental disputes over Ankara’s EU ambitions, and by economic interests in north Africa. Using incendiary language directed at France in a speech in Istanbul, Erdogan said: “I wish that those who only see oil, gold mines and underground treasures when they look in [Libya's] direction, would see the region through glasses of conscience from now on.” President Gül reinforced the Turkish view that France and others were being driven primarily by economic interests. “The aim [of the air campaign] is not the liberation of the Libyan people,” he said. “There are hidden agendas and different interests.” Earlier this week, Claude Guéant, the French interior minister who was previously Sarkozy’s chief adviser, outraged the Muslim world by stating that the French president was “leading a crusade” to stop Gaddafi massacring Libyans. Erdogan denounced the use of the word ‘crusade’, blaming those– France chief among them – who are opposed to Turkey joining the EU. The Turks are incensed at repeated snubs by Sarkozy. The French failed to invite Turkey to last Saturday’s summit in Paris which presaged the air strikes. French fighters taking off from Corsica struck the first blows. The Turkish government accused Sarkozy of launching not only the no-fly zone, but his presidential re-election campaign. The dispute over Libya appears highly personal, revealing the bad blood simmering between the French president and the Turkish prime minister. Sarkozy went to Turkey last month for the first time in four years as president. But the visit was repeatedly delayed and then downgraded from a state presidential event. He stayed in Turkey for five hours. “Relations between Turkey and France deserve more than this,” complained Erdogan. “I will speak with frankness. We wish to host him as president of France. But he is coming as president of the G20, not as that of France.” While the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is also opposed to Turkey joining the EU, she has voiced her objections moderately, Sarkozy has declared that, culturally, Turkey does not belong in Europe, but in the Middle East. France has blocked tranches of Ankara’s EU negotiations on the grounds that it should not be seen as fit for membership. Libya France Turkey Nicolas Sarkozy Middle East Nato Europe Ian Traynor Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
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France and Turkey reach breakthrough Libya deal
Nicolas Sarkozy, who had clashed with Turkey over role of Nato, says new two-tier military structure will be established Western allies and Turkey have reached a breakthrough deal to put the entire military campaign against Muammar Gaddafi under Nato command by next week, senior UK and French sources have told the Guardian. The deal, being finalised at Nato headquarters in Brussels, gives political oversight of the military action to a committee of international coalition partners involved in the Libyan campaign. President Nicolas Sarkozy, who had tried to diminish the role of Nato, conceded, in the face of determined Turkish opposition, that a new two-tier structure will be established to run the operation. Nato “assets” will be used to co-ordinate all aspects of the military campaign against Libya, including enforcement of the no-fly zone, protecting civilians through air strikes, and enforcing a UN arms embargo. Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, conceded that Nato would be in control of the entire operation. Political oversight will be in the hands of a Nato-led committee, modelled on the body that oversees the International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) in Afghanistan. Isaf is led by Nato, but includes countries outside the alliance, such as Australia and New Zealand. The coalition against Libya includes Arab countries, such as Qatar, that are not in Nato. The breakthrough came in a conference call between Hillary Clinton, William Hague, Alain Juppe and their Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu. Turkey and France, which have been involved in bitter exchanges, reached agreement on the new structure. The agreement was put to a meeting of Nato ambassadors in Brussels this afternoon. Diplomatic sources said they “99% there”. One said: “There are a few last minute wrinkles. It has all moved rapidly.” Hague had told MPs he was hopeful of a breakthrough. He said: “On the question of command and control, we are still working some of that out. The simplest and most effective solution is for all of these operations to come under the North Atlantic Council [Nato's main political decision-making body] and for other countries to plug into that, to work with that. “We have made a great deal of progress. “We should understand this is a new coalition, put together very quickly for obvious reasons, and so there are bound to be issues to sort out in its management. But we are getting through those pretty well. I will be discussing the remaining issues with Secretary [Hillary] Clinton and with my French and Turkish counterparts to try to iron out the remaining difficulties on future Nato command and control. The nations involved in this operation – their representatives are able to meet in Brussels on a regular basis.” Earlier, Turkey attacked Sarkozy’s and France’s leadership of the military campaign, accusing the French of lacking a conscience in their conduct of operations. The criticism, from the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the president, Abdullah Gül, followed attacks from the Turkish government earlier this week and signalled an orchestrated attempt by Ankara to wreck Sarkozy’s plans to lead the air campaign against Gaddafi. With France insisting that Nato should not be put in political charge of the UN-mandated air campaign, Turkey has come out emphatically behind sole Nato control of the operations. The row came as France confirmed that one of its fighter jets had destroyed a Libyan air force plane, the first to breach the no-fly zone since it was imposed on 19 March. The Libyan G2/Galeb trainer aircraft was destroyed by an air-to-ground missile just after it landed at an air base near the rebel-held town of Misrata, a French military spokesman said. The clash between Turkey and France over Libya is underpinned by acute frictions between Erdogan and Sarkozy, both impetuous and mercurial leaders who revel in the limelight, by fundamental disputes over Ankara’s EU ambitions, and by economic interests in north Africa. Using incendiary language directed at France in a speech in Istanbul, Erdogan said: “I wish that those who only see oil, gold mines and underground treasures when they look in [Libya's] direction, would see the region through glasses of conscience from now on.” President Gül reinforced the Turkish view that France and others were being driven primarily by economic interests. “The aim [of the air campaign] is not the liberation of the Libyan people,” he said. “There are hidden agendas and different interests.” Earlier this week, Claude Guéant, the French interior minister who was previously Sarkozy’s chief adviser, outraged the Muslim world by stating that the French president was “leading a crusade” to stop Gaddafi massacring Libyans. Erdogan denounced the use of the word ‘crusade’, blaming those– France chief among them – who are opposed to Turkey joining the EU. The Turks are incensed at repeated snubs by Sarkozy. The French failed to invite Turkey to last Saturday’s summit in Paris which presaged the air strikes. French fighters taking off from Corsica struck the first blows. The Turkish government accused Sarkozy of launching not only the no-fly zone, but his presidential re-election campaign. The dispute over Libya appears highly personal, revealing the bad blood simmering between the French president and the Turkish prime minister. Sarkozy went to Turkey last month for the first time in four years as president. But the visit was repeatedly delayed and then downgraded from a state presidential event. He stayed in Turkey for five hours. “Relations between Turkey and France deserve more than this,” complained Erdogan. “I will speak with frankness. We wish to host him as president of France. But he is coming as president of the G20, not as that of France.” While the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is also opposed to Turkey joining the EU, she has voiced her objections moderately, Sarkozy has declared that, culturally, Turkey does not belong in Europe, but in the Middle East. France has blocked tranches of Ankara’s EU negotiations on the grounds that it should not be seen as fit for membership. Libya France Turkey Nicolas Sarkozy Middle East Nato Europe Ian Traynor Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
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on March 24, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News.
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