Pentagon to look at moving NATO headquarters out of Belgium
The Defense approriations bill gives money to the Pentagon to study the cost and practicality of moving NATO headquarters.
"...The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the amendment on May 22 as part of its Defence Authorization Act, an annual review of US military funding levels. In the amendment, lawmakers called on the US Department of Defence to draft a report detailing the costs of keeping alliance headquarters in their current location, compared to the long-term costs of relocating.
“'The question arises, would a more centralized location of NATO headquarters enhance NATO’s effectiveness?”'said Representative Porter Goss, author of the amendment, in his comments from the floor of the House."
Then there is this.
"Belgium's government reacted angrily today to mounting American pressure to rescind controversial war crimes legislation, arguing that the country had already addressed Washington's concerns.
"Belgian government officials said Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld had only made the issue more difficult to deal with by threatening Thursday to find another venue for NATO meetings if Brussels failed to act on United States demands.
"I'd like to once again repeat to Mr. Rumsfeld that Belgium has amended the genocide law," the country's foreign minister, Louis Michel, told the country's state radio on Friday. "We have changed it precisely to meet the fears of our American friends."
"The law, which allows anyone to bring war crimes charges in Belgian courts, regardless of where the crimes are said to have taken place, was recently amended to allow the government to dismiss politically motivated cases by transferring them to the defendants' home country. This was done with a recent lawsuit brought by a group of Iraqis against Gen. Tommy R. Franks, the commander of allied forces in Iraq.
"But the United States has said it is not satisfied with case-by-case resolutions and wants Belgium to strike the law altogether."
The Defense approriations bill gives money to the Pentagon to study the cost and practicality of moving NATO headquarters.
"...The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the amendment on May 22 as part of its Defence Authorization Act, an annual review of US military funding levels. In the amendment, lawmakers called on the US Department of Defence to draft a report detailing the costs of keeping alliance headquarters in their current location, compared to the long-term costs of relocating.
“'The question arises, would a more centralized location of NATO headquarters enhance NATO’s effectiveness?”'said Representative Porter Goss, author of the amendment, in his comments from the floor of the House."
Then there is this.
"Belgium's government reacted angrily today to mounting American pressure to rescind controversial war crimes legislation, arguing that the country had already addressed Washington's concerns.
"Belgian government officials said Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld had only made the issue more difficult to deal with by threatening Thursday to find another venue for NATO meetings if Brussels failed to act on United States demands.
"I'd like to once again repeat to Mr. Rumsfeld that Belgium has amended the genocide law," the country's foreign minister, Louis Michel, told the country's state radio on Friday. "We have changed it precisely to meet the fears of our American friends."
"The law, which allows anyone to bring war crimes charges in Belgian courts, regardless of where the crimes are said to have taken place, was recently amended to allow the government to dismiss politically motivated cases by transferring them to the defendants' home country. This was done with a recent lawsuit brought by a group of Iraqis against Gen. Tommy R. Franks, the commander of allied forces in Iraq.
"But the United States has said it is not satisfied with case-by-case resolutions and wants Belgium to strike the law altogether."
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