PanARMENIAN.Net

France rejoins NATO military command

Karine Ter-Sahakyan

France’s return is expected to be formalized with a letter to NATO
before the alliance celebrates its 60th anniversary in April with a
summit in the French city of Strasbourg.
13.03.2009 GMT+04:00

After more than 40 years France returns to the united structures of
NATO command. Though we shouldn’t hope that this return of
«prodigal son» can lead to further changes in the
alliance, the fact itself is symbolically significant. `The moment has
come to put an end to this situation because it is in the interest of
France and of Europe to do so,’ Sarkozy told an audience of military
officers, officials and international defense experts in Paris.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer hailed
Sarkozy’s decision to return France to the fold. `Its full
participation in all the civil and military decision-making and
planning processes cannot but strengthen the alliance further,’ de
Hoop Scheffer said in a statement. France is already NATO’s fourth
largest contributor of troops. France has long played a major role in
NATO operations, fielding troops under allied command in Bosnia,
Kosovo and now particularly in the dangerous Afghan
campaign. Meanwhile, Sarkozy says France will maintain control over
its nuclear arsenal. It would maintain its independent nuclear
deterrent outside NATO command structures.

Former President Charles de Gaulle withdrew France from NATO in 1966
because he felt that U.S. power in Europe needed to be limited as it
was affecting France’s independence. However, France never left the
alliance itself. Defence Minister Herve Morin rejected claims France
would now be forced to go along with the US on issues like the war
with Iraq, which it vehemently opposed. Germany, he noted, has
remained fully integrated in NATO, yet opposed the war. Renewing
France’s relations with NATO `will benefit the alliance, benefit
Europe and benefit France’, Mr. Morin said. `It will be done without
calling into question the independence of France. Indeed, it would
allow France to take a greater role in shaping military strategy,’ he
argued, BBC reports.

President of France was right in his calculations of returning into
NATO especially at this moment. France could not rejoin NATO under
George Bush, risking the country’s image like Great Britain that fully
supported the American President and won the distrustful laurels of
«Friend Tony». With Barack Obama in power, the situation
is quite different. It would be much easier for President Sarkozy to
find a common language with a person that is going to withdraw the
troops from Iraq, meanwhile trying to somehow resolve the Afghan
conflict. France’s return is expected to be formalized with a letter
to NATO before the alliance celebrates its 60th anniversary in April
with a summit in the French city of Strasbourg.

The talks on NATO-CSTO cooperation have become more intense lately. In
the words of CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha, `NATO and its
Russian-dominated counterpart, the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO), should work together to form a new security
system in Europe. Nowadays, the system of the balance of power in
Europe is failing. The security architecture has to be re-made. I see
no reason for a collision between the CSTO and NATO. We are ready to
unite our efforts. Both organizations deal with problems of security,
such as terrorism, drug smuggling and illegal migration. The CSTO has
been pushing for the last four to five years for more cooperation with
NATO on those issues. But, unfortunately, NATO is not ready to talk
with us,’ CSTO Secretary General told journalists in Brussels. The
interesting point in this connection is that France’s decision is
positively perceived by Moscow. According to Russian media, Nikolas
Sarkozy notified the Kremlin about his intentions in due time .

In a word, everyone is content, and first of all – Sarkozy. What is
coming next? France has always been trying to play the first fiddle in
European orchestra and in NATO too. At the beginning of the current
year French Ambassador to Armenia Serge Smessov stated that `If NATO
is unable to cope with putting things in order, the joint European
forces can do it.’ And though the diplomat specified neither format of
forces, nor the country that would take the command, most likely
Smessov suggested France¦