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http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters04-03-171415.asp?reg=EUROPE NATO's 'quad' inner circle may meet soon - Powell Reuters WASHINGTON, April 3 � U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Wednesday that efforts were being made to organize a ''quad'' meeting next week -- diplomatic lingo for NATO's most powerful inner circle of foreign ministers from the United States, Britain, France and Germany. Powell did not say what he and his counterparts would discuss and stressed the meeting had not yet been arranged. Obvious agenda items would be the U.S. war on terrorism and the Middle East crisis. Powell made clear during comments to reporters that the session could take place while he is in Europe next week. He said his scheduled stop in Berlin on Tuesday might have to be reconsidered because of difficulties in getting all the other members of the ''quad'' to be there that day. Powell is scheduled to deliver a speech in the German capital on Tuesday and then spend two days in Madrid meeting his Russian counterpart and top European Union officials. ''The schedule has gone through some flux because of difficulties getting the quad members to go in on that day,'' he said, adding separately, ''So we have to take another look at Berlin.'' One potential explanation for the scheduling conflict is on Britain's side, as the Queen Mother's funeral is on the same day as Powell is scheduled to be in Berlin. A State Department official said on condition of anonymity that planning was in progress for a quad meeting. ''He regularly talks on the phone to many of our NATO allies and is trying to find a way to get together with several counterparts while he is in Europe,'' the official added. A quad meeting is not an unusual event, but its members tend to avoid referring to it by name for fear of offending other members of the defensive alliance, where the four countries have greater decision-making power than their single votes imply, diplomats said. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
