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NATO still vital, Rumsfeld says
Associated Press
Published February 13, 2005
MUNICH, Germany - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Saturday came out against a German proposal that would create a trans-Atlantic rival to NATO to coordinate and develop policy among alliance nations.
Rumsfeld described the 26-country alliance, created in 1949 to confront the Soviet Union's military strength in the Cold War, as still energetic and vital.
He also said the U.S.-European alliance can withstand its current differences, caused chiefly by opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq. In urging unified efforts to defeat terrorism and deter weapons proliferation, Rumsfeld took a conciliatory note toward America's allies in Europe. He even made light of his "old Europe" characterization of nations that opposed U.S. policy in Iraq, such as France and Germany.
"That was old Rumsfeld," he said, drawing laughs from officials at a security conference. "Our collective security depends on our cooperation and mutual respect and understanding."
Germany's defense minister proposed more direct coordination between the European Union and the United States. NATO "is no longer the primary venue where trans-Atlantic partners discuss and coordinate strategies," said Peter Struck, reading a speech on behalf of German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who was ill.
Struck also recommended appointing a commission to study the idea.
Rumsfeld advocated further cooperative efforts to counter the spread of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism.
The Pentagon chief said coordination of legal, diplomatic and intelligence efforts was crucial.
"By now it must be clear that one nation cannot defeat the extremists alone," he said.
The secretary singled out France and Germany for praise for their arrests of suspected Islamic extremists last month.
The speech came after German prosecutors decided not to investigate Rumsfeld on war crimes allegations involving torture of detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
[Last modified February 13, 2005, 01:09:06]
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