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The biannual meeting of NATO defense ministers opens Thursday (October 24th) in Brussels. At a press conference, its secretary general Jens Stoltenberg could not hide the sharp divisions within the Atlantic Alliance about the situation in Syria.
With our correspondent in Brussels, Pierre Benazet
For Jens Stoltenberg, it would make no sense to hide the differences on Syria between NATO member countries. Twenty-two of the 29 Atlantic Alliance countries are members of the European Union and the EU has formally asked Turkey to withdraw from Syria. The French president was even more explicit in describing the Turkish military intervention as foolish and accused NATO of gross negligence.
The Atlantic Alliance, which of course includes Turkey and the United States, has been careful not to raise its voice, and its secretary-general has reported no assurances of Turkey from his visit to Ankara. Forced to recall Turkish security concerns, Jens Stoltenberg can do little more than say that NATO must be a platform for diplomatic debate and the debate between defense ministers promises to be very keen.
No prospect of suspension
There is no prospect of any suspension from Turkey but several countries are considering a kind of call to order. This will obviously be expressed in diplomatic terms and perhaps in individual meetings, but for three quarters of NATO countries the Turkish offensive threatens the security of Europe.
Jens Stoltenberg refuses the slightest comment on the Russian-Turkish agreement on Syria and is satisfied that with the cease-fire the situation has improved but he warns that the results of the fight against the Islamic State in Syria should not be threatened.
The creation of an international security zone?
In addition, Turkey's NATO air defense is carried out by two countries, Italy and Spain, and it has already announced the withdrawal of its missile batteries from Turkey. But Turkey is not alone in the sights, because some countries blame the Secretary General of NATO for calling legitimate security concerns Turkey.
The most serious consequence of these tensions could be a change of attitude of the countries which in Europe have always trusted the United States for their security, since they unofficially accuse them of having caused this situation.
The proposal of the German Defense Minister to create an international security zone may be the only point that will allow the Allies a more serene debate.