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NATO Operation Without UN Mandate 'Nuts'
8 February 1999
By Elizabeth Weber
"Its simply nuts for NATO to be self-referential…"
Jane Holl
Last November US officials articulated the Administration's
position that NATO should agree to undertake operations in
support of Alliance "interests" outside of NATO territory
on a case by case basis. The possibility of the Alliance operating
"out of area" without a UN mandate is in stark violation of
the North Atlantic Charter and UN Charter. Nonetheless, US
officials are promoting this role for NATO. Pressure from
the Clinton Administration is likely to make "out of area"
missions as prominent issue at the Washington Summit.
At a Washington briefing announcing the release of BASIC's
Research Report, Risk Reduction Strategy for NATO: Preparing
for the Next 50 Years, Jane Holl, Executive Director
of the Carnegie Commission for Preventing Deadly Conflict,
stated, "Its simply nuts for NATO to be self-referential in
regards to the UN Mandate." Holl, previously director for
European Affairs on the National Security Council Staff at
The White House and a former career Army officer argued that,
"This is not the message NATO should deliver."
BASIC's report backs Holl's sentiments. At the Summit, NATO
should declare that it will only act militarily when there
exists a clear mandate from the UN or the OSCE. Any military
action beyond territorial defense should require specific
UN Security Council approval.
US support for BASIC's recommendation that NATO comply with
international law may be hard to find. US Ambassador to NATO,
Alexander Veshbow put it clearly. stating, "While a UN Security
Council Resolution is often a desirable basis for military
intervention, NATO can and will act without a resolution if
there is a consensus among its members that there are legitimate
grounds to do so."
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