France isolated in Iraqi deadlock

France, Germany and Belgium have forced a 16-3 Nato stalemate for weeks over a request from Washingon that the European allies despatch help to Turkey to shore up its defences.

This is because Turkey, the only Nato member bordering Iraq, could face the brunt of retaliation if a decision is taken to go to war with Saddam Hussein.

But for weeks the three rebels have insisted that sending military aid, including Patriot missiles and early warning aircraft, implies approval of US military action and pre-empts continuing UN efforts at peace through diplomacy.

The vast majority argue that it does not, and that the allies have a Treaty obligation to act to reinforce the “territorial integrity” of one of the partners facing an outside threat.

Now the Belgians have signalled they would fall in line if a form of words is found making it crystal clear that Nato military planning in Turkey is purely defensive, and does not amount to an aggressive military build-up.

“We’ve been saying that for weeks” said one senior diplomatic source at Nato headquarters today.

“That is the whole point – to prepare to support one of our number facing a possible external threat“.

Germany is leaning towards the Belgian position, but with France as staunchly opposed as ever, the allies were today holding a meeting of their “Defence Planning Committee“, which excludes France which is in Nato’s political, but not military, structure.

However the DPC does have full decision-making powers – so the French could effectively be steamrollered into an 18-1 decision.

That would end the immediate rift but only deepen the European animosity over the Iraq crisis.

The frustration for Nato Secretary-General Lord Robertson is that the argument has not been about defending Turkey, but about the deep distrust in Paris and Berlin over the way America is driving Europe towards military conflict in Iraq.

France, Germany and Belgium have made clear they would certainly join in any assistance for Turkey if and when a genuine threat emerges, but say it is too soon to act while peace efforts are going on.

But one Nato official pointed out that it would take about 30 days to shift “assets” to Turkey to confront a possible Iraqi response to US military action and decisions were needed now.

Today Lord Robertson – accused by some of letting the row get out of hand - was hoping finally to deliver on Washington’s request for preparatory back-up by convincing the three rebels that they are committing themselves only to “prudent contingency planning” and not war.

A slight change in the form of words – and the absence of the French from this morning’s meeting – was seen as a recipe for an accord which would be formally endorsed by Nato ambassadors later today.

That would still leave plenty of political fall-out from the dispute, which will spill over into an emergency meeting of EU leaders in Brussels tomorrow – a meeting UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is due to attend.