Resoconto – NATO : gli USA e la Germania si accordano sulla Georgia
● Compromesso paesi Nato su ingresso Georgia ed Ucraina, con forti divisioni tra USA e Germania, sensibile all’ostilità russa sulla questione.
o Rafforzamento della cooperazione con programmi annuali, senza escludere a priori il ricorso del MAP (Piano d’azione per l’adesione), oggetto di scontro tra gli alleati.
– Un messaggio di apertura verso la Russia da parte dei paesi Nato, che riprenderanno in modo informale le riunioni NATO-Russia sospese dopo la guerra in Georgia; esito questo non scontato.
– Il ministro Esteri tedesco, SPD Steinmeier, ha espresso una forte opposizione ad escludere il MAP a ad introdurre meccanismi diretti di adesione, come suggerito dalla Rice, alla Nato della Georgia.
– Divergenza di posizioni dentro la Grosse Koalition, con Steinmeier più filo-russo della Cancelliera Merkel, futura rivale alle elezioni tedesche del 2009.
– La Francia si prepara a entrare nel comando integrato Nato, non ha appoggiato la posizione tedesca sul MAP.
Gli USA non si impongono sulle nuove procedure di adesione alla Nato
Tensioni tra le maggiori potenze europee e gli USA a seguito del vertice Nato
● Tesi Wsws: Il vertice Nato di Bruxelles è una pietra miliare delle crescenti tensioni tra le potenze, di qua e di là dall’Atlantico.
● L’aumento delle lobby protezioniste sulle due sponde a seguito della crisi internazionale ha peggiorato le relazioni tra Usa ed Europa.
● Scarsi segnali che Obama muterà la linea politica e militare di scontro con la Russia, avviata da Bush.
● Prossimo tema di conflitto sarà la Nato in Afghanistan
● Nel vertice dei 26 ministri Esteri della Nato, gli Usa non sono riusciti ad imporre agli alleati una procedura accelerata per l’ingresso di Georgia ed Ucraina nella Nato, come già accaduto ad aprile a Bucarest, grazie alle pressioni della Germania;
● su pressioni tedesche gli altri paesi (in particolare Spagna e Olanda) hanno confermato che l’ingresso debba avvenire tramite un Piano d’azione di verifica delle strutture politiche e militari dei candidati (MAP), per cui non è ancora stabilito il calendario.
● Il processo di adesione sarà “lungo”, secondo la Süddeutsche Zeit è da ritenere che più che accelerare esso decelererà.
– Il ministro Esteri Steinmeier: non c’è alcun motivo di uscire da quanto deciso nel vertice Nato di Bucarest (aprile 2008)
– La Nato ha deciso anche la ripresa delle relazioni con la Russia, congelate dopo la guerra georgiana, richiesta dalla Germania, necessarie non solo “con il bel tempo, ma ancora di più quando ci sono divergenze di interessi”;
– Wsws: la decisione avviene dopo un lungo dibattito con USA e GB appoggiati da alcuni paesi est-europei da un lato e dall’altro un gruppo di paesi europei occidentali, capeggiati da Germania, Francia ed anche Italia.
– Ad agosto anche il neo-presidente americano, Obama, e la Clinton appoggiarono con Bush il presidente georgiano Saakashvili.
● Su Der Spiegel, in occasione della guerra russo-georgiana Steinmeier parlò delle tensioni tra Europa e Russia come «inutile conflitto interno europeo», rievocando le espressioni linguaggio dell’ex segretario alla Difesa americano, Rumsfeld, sulla divisione tra “vecchia e nuova Europa” sulla guerra in Irak.
● Reazioni di giubilo da parte dell’ambasciatore russo alla Nato: «c’è un conflitto aperto all’interno della Nato, che si amplierà se la Nato cerca di allargarsi ulteriormente».
● Gli Usa sono però riusciti ad ottenere un accordo per i piani di uno scudo di difesa antimissilistica in Europa, a dispetto delle speranze di coloro che hanno puntato sul cambiamento con Obama. I neo-nominati da Obama, Clinton e Gates (Difesa), sono sempre stati per lo scudo anti-missilistico.
– Durante la Guerra Fredda l’influenza militare americana si fermava ai confini della Germania Ovest; da allora si è estera di 1200 km ad Est, ed ora ci sono soldati Nato in Estonia, al confine con la Russia.
Sul Nyt, Angela Stent, funzionario capo per la Russia nel National Intelligence Council USA nel 2004-2006, dà un consiglio al presidente entrante Obama: Il crescente disaccordo tra USA e Germania può solo avvantaggiare la Russia se non ci sarà migliore coordinamento … L’Amministrazione Obama dovrebbe cooperare con I tedeschi nella ridefinizione della politica americana verso la Russia».
LE MONDE | 03.12.08 | 14h28 • Mis à jour le 03.12.08 | 14h28
– rois mois après la guerre dans le Caucase, les pays de l’OTAN sont parvenus à un compromis sur la politique à mener en direction de la Géorgie et de l’Ukraine, qui souhaitent intégrer l’Alliance, malgré des divisions notables apparues entre les Etats-Unis et l’Allemagne, sensible à l’hostilité de la Russie à cette perspective.
Les pays membres ont décidé, mardi 2 décembre, lors d’une réunion à Bruxelles, de renforcer la coopération avec les deux Républiques ex-soviétiques au moyen de programmes annuels, sans préjuger de l’utilisation ou non, à l’avenir, du mécanisme du plan d’action en vue de l’adhésion (MAP) devenu un objet de contentieux entre les alliés.
– La porte de l’OTAN reste donc ouverte, mais l’éventualité d’un passage par l’étape du MAP est renvoyée à la future administration américaine. Pour la première fois, le Conseil OTAN-Géorgie devait se réunir, mercredi, à Bruxelles, au niveau des ministres.
– Envoyant simultanément un message d’ouverture prudent à la Russie, les pays de l’OTAN ont aussi décidé, mardi, de reprendre peu à peu, de façon "informelle" certaines réunions du Conseil OTAN-Russie gelées après la guerre de Géorgie.
– Un accord n’était pas acquis. L’Allemagne, représentée par le ministre social-démocrate Frank-Walter Steinmeier, était montée au créneau pour s’opposer à une nouvelle tactique américaine sur le dossier Géorgie-OTAN. Il refusait que, comme le suggérait la secrétaire d’Etat américaine Condoleezza Rice, toute mention du MAP soit évacuée, au profit d’autres mécanismes ouvrant directement la voie à l’adhésion.
Le paradoxe est que l’Allemagne et les Etats-Unis ont abordé la réunion de mardi avec des positions à front renversé, par rapport au mois d’avril. Lors du sommet de l’OTAN à Bucarest, l’Allemagne avait alors mené la "fronde" de certains Européens contre le projet américain d’octroyer le MAP à la Géorgie et l’Ukraine.
– Après le conflit russo-géorgien, chacun a, en réalité, conclu que l’application du MAP pour la Géorgie était peu envisageable, ce qui a levé les réticences de l’Allemagne vis-à-vis d’un dispositif devenu un verrou. Les Américains ont renoncé, prenant acte à la fois de la résistance de certains Européens et des doutes soulevés par le comportement du président géorgien, Mikheïl Saakachvili lors du déclenchement de la guerre. Pour Mme Rice, l’essentiel était de ne pas donner le sentiment que l’on privait la Géorgie et l’Ukraine de perspectives après la démonstration de force militaire des Russes.
– La France a proposé une formule de compromis lors d’une discussion entre le ministre des affaires étrangères, Bernard Kouchner, son homologue britannique, David Milliband, Mme Rice et M. Steinmeier. Ce dernier, jugé plus sensible aux arguments du Kremlin que la chancelière Angela Merkel, sa future rivale aux élections de 2009, a fait allusion au contexte politique allemand ("J’ai un problème chez moi", a-t-il glissé).
La France, qui doit accueillir, en 2009, un sommet de l’OTAN à Strasbourg, et se prépare à rejoindre le commandement intégré de l’Alliance, ne s’est pas rangée à la position allemande à propos du MAP. En avril, Paris avait déjà pris le soin, de laisser Berlin en première ligne face à Washington.
– L’Union[e] européenne a officiellement lancé, mardi 2 décembre, une enquête sur les origines de la guerre éclair entre la Géorgie et la Russie, en août. Présidée par la Suissesse Heidi Tagliavini, représentante de l’ONU en Géorgie de 2002 à 2006, la mission devrait travailler huit mois, jusqu’au 31 juillet 2009. A cette date, elle présentera son rapport "aux parties du conflit, au Conseil (des ministres européens), à l’OSCE (l’Organisation pour la sécurité et la coopération en Europe) et à l’ONU", précise le texte validé par les 27 membres de l’UE.
Mme Tagliavini pourra choisir une équipe d’"experts reconnus", "juristes, historiens, militaires, ou experts des droits de l’Homme", est-il indiqué.
Une question demeure en suspens, celle de la marge de manoeuvre sur le terrain et de la coopération de la Russie.
Officiellement, la mission décidera seule des lieux où elle souhaitera se rendre, y compris dans les régions séparatistes pro-russes d’Abkhazie et d’Ossétie du Sud, dont Moscou a reconnu l’indépendance.
– Par ailleurs, mardi, les pourparlers entre Européens et Russes ont repris au sujet d’un partenariat renforcé, après trois mois de suspension. – (AFP.)
Article paru dans l’édition du 04.12.08
USA setzen sich mit neuem Nato-Beitrittsverfahren nicht durch
3. Dezember 2008, 02:42 Uhr
– Die USA sind mit dem Versuch gescheitert, ein neues Verfahren für den Beitritt von Georgien und der Ukraine zur Nato durchzusetzen.
– Die Außenminister des Bündnisses bekräftigten am Dienstag in Brüssel nach deutschem Drängen, dass die Aufnahme der beiden ehemaligen Sowjetrepubliken über einen "Aktionsplan für die Mitgliedschaft" (Map) erfolgen muss, sagten Nato-Diplomaten. Für eine Entscheidung über diesen Plan gibt es noch keinen Termin.
– US-Außenministerin Condoleezza Rice hatte zunächst darauf gedrungen, die für den Nato-Beitritt nötigen politischen und militärischen Reformen lediglich in zwei bereits bestehenden Kommissionen zu begleiten. Sie wollte die Notwendigkeit zu einer erneuten einstimmigen Entscheidung über den Beginn des "Aktionsplans" in der Ministerentscheidung nicht mehr erwähnen.
– Vor allem Deutschland, Spanien und die Niederlande waren zwar mit der Einschaltung der Kommissionen einverstanden. Sie bestanden jedoch darauf, dass der "Aktionsplan" zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt folgen müsse. Der "Aktionsplan" stellt Ziele auf, um die politischen und militärischen Strukturen der Kandidaten anzupassen.
– Bundesaußenminister Frank-Walter Steinmeier hatte zu Beginn des Treffens gesagt, er sehe "keinen Anlass", über die Beschlüsse des Nato-Gipfels vom April in Bukarest hinauszugehen. "Das gilt hinsichtlich der Substanz und der dort vereinbarten Verfahren." In Bukarest war Georgien und der Ukraine die Mitgliedschaft zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt versprochen worden. Zugleich wurde beschlossen, dass der "Aktionsplan" der nächste Schritt im Beitrittsprozess sein werde. Die scheidende US-Außenministerin Rice hatte hingegen zuvor gesagt, die Nato brauche sich mit der Frage des "Aktionsplans" nicht noch einmal zu befassen. "Wir können Bukarest durch die Kommissionen und anderes umsetzen."
– Zudem beschloss die Allianz, die nach dem Georgien-Krieg auf Eis gelegten Beziehungen zu Russland wieder aufzunehmen. Dies sagte Nato-Generalsekretär Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. Das Bündnis wolle "ein bedingtes und abgestuftes neues Engagement mit Russland". Er sei von den Ministern beauftragt worden zu erkunden, welche politischen Kontakte zwischen der Nato und Russland wieder hergestellt werden könnten.
– Der Nato-Russland-Rat, der seit August nicht mehr auf Botschafter- oder Ministerebene tagte, werde "auf informeller Ebene wieder zusammentreten". Dabei solle es "um die Fragen gehen, in denen wir übereinstimmen und in denen wir unterschiedlicher Meinung sind."
– Steinmeier hatte zuvor die Forderung nach Wiederaufnahme des Dialogs bekräftigt. Der Außenminister betonte, der Rat werde nicht nur in "Schönwetterzeiten" gebraucht, sondern "erst recht, wenn sich Interessenunterschiede zeigen". Auch Italiens Außenminister Franco Frattini sagte, es sei wichtig, zumindest auf Botschafter-Ebene den Weg zunächst für das Ministertreffen im März und dann für den Nato-Gipfel im April vorzubereiten. US-Außenministerin Rice sagte, sie habe "im Prinzip kein Problem" mit einer Wiederaufnahme der Beziehungen zwischen der Nato und Russland. dpa/AP
Tensions between leading European nations and US following NATO meeting
Foreign ministers agree to resume talks with Russia
– The NATO meeting of foreign ministers held Tuesday and Wednesday this week in Brussels delivered a renewed rebuff to the US over the issue of membership in the organization by Georgia and Ukraine.
– The NATO summit consisting of 26 foreign ministers refused to bow to pressure from US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for a speedy acceptance of the two Eastern European countries.
– Instead, in response to an initiative by a number of core European countries, including Germany, France and Italy, the meeting agreed to resume a dialogue with Russia. The alliance’s eventual decision to begin “a conditional and graduated reengagement” with Moscow was the result of prolonged and heated debate behind closed doors between, on one side, Rice—supported by the British foreign minister and a number of central Eastern European countries—and on the other side, an alliance of Western European countries led by Germany and France.
– The summit also decided that Georgia and Ukraine would “eventually” become members of NATO and confirmed that existing NATO commissions would assist each country along the “long” path to NATO membership.
– Indicating just how “long” this process of preparation for admission could be, the German Süddeutsche Zeitung noted Wednesday in an article supporting the NATO decision: “It was only reasonable to oppose (any quick membership). Realistically there is no basis for an acceleration, but rather for a deceleration.
o Ukraine is very far, generations away, from NATO. And so long as Georgia is in conflict with the rebel provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia it will not be accepted by the alliance, because no one wants to be drawn into a new war in the Caucasus. It will take decades to defuse the situation.”
– Already in April of this year, US plans for a speedy admission of the two East European countries were rejected by core European states led by Germany at the NATO summit in Bucharest. In the course of heated debate at the summit, the US and its allies had accused Germany in particular of being “naïve” and “overly trusting,” with regard to Russia.
– In August of this year, the US and its allies in Europe then moved quickly to vilify Russia as the aggressor nation following the outbreak of the conflict between Georgia and Russia. The concerted media and political campaign to back the propaganda lies of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was led by President Bush and supported at the time by the Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama.
– Since the outbreak of the conflict, increasing evidence has emerged that the Georgian invasion of South Ossetia was the culmination of a long-prepared plan for the occupation of the rebel republic. Only recently, Georgia’s former envoy to Russia, Erosi Kitsmarishvili, gave testimony to the Georgian parliament and declared: “The US leadership gave Georgia the green light for a military operation in South Ossetia.”
Not withstanding the growing mountain of evidence demonstrating the provocative role of the Georgian regime in the conflict, the Wall Street Journal published a statement by Saakashvili on Tuesday—obviously timed to coincide with the start of the NATO conference—in which the Georgian president once again attempted to defend the actions of his government.
– In the run-up to the latest NATO summit in Brussels, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier made clear that there would be no shift in Germany’s policy of opposition to rapid NATO membership for Georgia and Ukraine. In Bucharest in April, Steinmeier noted, there were some “rude objections” aimed at Germany, but it would be absurd to imply that he or the German government were “naïve or ignorant” with regard to Russia. “I am and remain firmly convinced that it would be wrong to isolate Russia,” Steinmeier concluded.
– In comments to Der Spiegel, Steinmeier described the tensions between Europe and Russia in the wake of the Russia-Georgia war as an “unnecessary domestic European conflict” and evoked the language used by former US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who in the wake of the Iraq war had divided Europe into “Old” (leading West European nations) and “New” (Great Britain and Eastern Europe). This time round, Steinmeier noted, “It was Old Europe that brought reason to the proceedings.”
– While the German foreign minister made clear there would be no concessions on the part of his government with regard to Georgia and Ukraine,
– the Russian ambassador to NATO reacted to the summit decision with jubilation: “There is an open split within NATO and it will widen if NATO tries to expand further,” Dmitry Rogozin told the state broadcaster Vesti-24. “The schemes of those who adopted a frozen approach to Russia have been destroyed.”
– Germany, in alliance with the French and Italian foreign ministers, was able to repel US pressure over the issue of NATO membership for Georgia and Ukraine,
– but Washington was able to win agreement for US plans to install an anti-missile defense shield in Europe despite the vehement opposition of Russia. The summit’s communiqué on the defence shield was signed by all 26 NATO states but, in another indication of behind-the-scenes tensions, it was revealed that the final communiqué had gone through no less than 22 drafts.
– Despite the concessions made to the US over its missile defence shield, it is clear that the NATO summit in Brussels represented a new milestone in the growth of tensions between the great powers on either side of the Atlantic.
– Since the collapse of the Soviet Union[e] in 1991 the US has pursued a policy of systematic military and political encirclement of Russia. During the Cold War and prior to the disintegration of the Soviet Union[e], direct US military influence ended at the borders of West Germany. Since then, the US has extended its military presence by no less than 1,200 kilometres (745 miles) eastwards and now has NATO soldiers in Estonia, directly on Russia’s border.
– For some time, West European nations, which are heavily dependent on supplies of oil and gas from Russia, have witnessed this process of gradual encirclement by Washington with growing concern. Germany is Russia’s largest trading partner, and only two months ago German Chancellor Angela Merkel travelled to Russia to sign a major deal between the German utility E.ON and the Russian state energy giant Gazprom for the exploitation of the huge reserves in the Yuzhno-Russkoye gas field in Siberia.
– The repercussions of the international financial crisis have also served to worsen relations between the US and Europe with the growth of protectionist lobbies on both sides of the Atlantic.
– In a recent article in the New York Times, Angela Stent (leading officer for Russia at the United States National Intelligence Council from 2004 to 2006) pointed to the growing tensions and offered a piece of advice to the incoming US president: “There are serious disagreements between Washington and Berlin from which Moscow can only benefit if there is not better coordination…. The Obama administration should work with the Germans as it reassesses US policy toward Russia.”
– In fact, there is little to indicate that an Obama presidency would reverse the course of political confrontation and military encroachment of Russia begun by President Bush. Obama followed up his support for the White House line on the Russia-Georgia conflict by joining the choir of those calling for rapid NATO membership for the country. At the same time, his foreign policy team contains a number of figures who represent a bipartisan continuity with the policies adopted by the Bush White House.
– Already in April 2008, Obama’s then Democratic rival and now nominee for secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, had declared she was “deeply disturbed” by Russian activity in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which she said undermined Georgia’s “territorial integrity.” Clinton went on to call upon President Bush to “show our support” for the Georgian government. She also criticized the Russian government for engaging in a “pressure campaign to prevent Ukraine from seeking deeper ties with NATO.”
– With regard to the missile defence system, the conservative Czech daily Lidové wrote that the decision to support the system at the Brussels summit is “bad news for the opponents of the project and those who thought that after Barack Obama’s election there would be a change in the direction of America’s foreign policy. The nomination of radar advocates Hillary Clinton and Robert Gates (secretaries of state and defense, respectively) shows that at least as far as this point is concerned, the frequently invoked change in Washington’s policy won’t come.”
Contrary to the expectations of broad sections of the media, an Obama presidency will do little to ease tensions on either side of the Atlantic. In fact, comments made after the summit by the secretary general of NATO, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, pointed to the next area of conflict between Europe and the US.
– According to de Hoop Scheffer, there was unanimity in NATO over its involvement in Afghanistan, but he made clear that a President Obama would ask European allies for a larger commitment of troops and money. “It’s crystal clear that we need more forces in Afghanistan,” de Hoop Scheffer said, adding that he had no doubt that Mr. Obama will set phones “ringing in European capitals.”
“The allies need to do better,” he said. “I want to see the balance in this alliance. I don’t want to just see more American troops. It has to be a combination of a military and civilian surge, and what slightly concerns me is that allies on this side of the ocean will have difficulty in matching the extra effort a new US administration might put into Afghanistan.”
– There is already considerable opposition in European capitals to being dragged deeper into the quagmire in Afghanistan under US leadership.
– Germany, France and Italy are quite prepared to conduct military campaigns, including in Afghanistan. However, in Berlin, Paris, and Rome there is growing political pressure that European governments free themselves from the grip of US imperialism in order to pursue their own interests unhampered across the continent.
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