At 10:33 PM 9/13/01 +0200 J. van Baardwijk wrote:
>Tonight on the evening news, our Minister of Defense said that this
>decision should be seen as a signal to the US that we are on the same side.
>He said that it does *not* mean that we will beforehand provide troops and
>weapons for America's war against terrorism. In his own words: "that will
>be a separate decision".
>
>The Prime Minister said he does not think The Netherlands will be dragged
>along in the spiral of violence.
I am sure that the PM is trying to reassure his people. After all, there
is no reason to say "We Are Going to War" - when that is by no means a
certainty yet. Thus, I will give your PM the same deference I give my own
leaders when they say things that are not exactly true, but not exactly
false either, in order to reassure the people.
I do, however, have a few more questions for you:
1) Do you think that the Netherlands should fulfill its obligations under
the North Atlantic Treaty? If "no", please provide a detailed explanation.
2) What do you think the reaction of the Netherlands would be, if after the
Netherlands was attacked, it then invoked Article V with the unanmious
consent of the North Atlantic Council, and was then told by the United
States that the US will not provide troops or weapons for the defence of
the Netherlands?
I await your answers.
JDG
__________________________________________________________
John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - ICQ #3527685
We are products of the same history, reaching from Jerusalem and
Athens to Warsaw and Washington. We share more than an alliance.
We share a civilization. - George W. Bush, Warsaw, 06/15/01
