Sarkozy agrees with Obama a strong EU Defence in NATO, but Turkey a.o. keep the brakes on..

 The quite good personal relations between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and new USA President Barack Obama, added to their explicit agreement for a "strong EU Defence policy" between "partrers", could have convinced that fears expressed by dissidents on France's famous Gaulist "independence" could be excessive in a "Nea Era" starting now in Euro-American relations, if it wasn't for Turkey's moves in NATO's Summit, which provoked unanswered questions..

Turkish reported obstruction on election of new NATO SG, would dash Sarkozy's hopes for smooth EU - NATO relations after France's full reintegration ?

- "President Obama wants a strong alliance, he wants  defence able to stand on its own feet !", stressed French President Nicolas Sarkory, after his 1h talks with the new American President, shortly after his venue in Strasbourg.

- "We (USA) don't look how to be EU's patron. We are looking to be partners", echoed the American President in reply.America has promissed to help Europe, and Europe has promissed to help America, that's why during all Cold War NATO didn't have to fire a shot to protect Western Europe from any eventual threat Eastwards, from the former Soviet Union, added Obama. 

With the new "Climate of Confiance" between Europe and America, US could agree more easily on the development of European Defence, said to "EuroFora" NATO's Policy Director, Jamie Shea. At any case, NATO cannot be Europe's defence : EU has to create its own Defence, and develop its own capabilities, he added.

Well informed sources, on the sidelines of the on-going NATO's Summit in Strasbourg,  indicated to "EuroFora" that, in fact, "France's return to NATO's military commandment had already started, progressively,  since .. 1994", because of Balkan wars. Step by step, similar moves were extended later, following other crisisn, which needed to send soldiers and military equipment abroad, inside multinational or international teams.

Critics, however, did'nt point only to the US itself, but also to "the UK, Turkey, Poland, as former PM Dominique Villepin reportedly observed the same day. Villepin was with Dupont-Aignant and other dissidents from the governing party, who came, eartlier this week to Strasbourg to voice his dissent, anouncing an independent list to the June 2009 EU Elections, which respect proportionality of votes, instead of the majority-takes-all national election system in France.

German Chancellor Angie Merkel has already clearly stressed that EU must discuss with the new American President how to overcome a "Turkey and Cyprus" issue, as she called the "regrets" expressed by an EU Parliament's Resolution on March in Strasbourg, for Ankara's "obstruction" against a smooth EU - NATO cooperation in all cases, asking them to "drop" it asap.

In brief, Turkey perisists to block EU - NATO joint activities each time they involve EU Member Cyprus that Ankara still refuses to recognize, despite a crystal-clear EU call, since 21 September 2005, which "may affect" even more gravely its controcersial EU bid if it's not corrected before the end of 2009..

A "New Start" on efforts to solve this issue, eventually with a fresh "Package" deal, including EU moves on Cyprus, appeared probable on the sidelines of Strasbourg's 2 Days Summit, according to NATO's experienced former Spokesman, and current Policy Director, Jamie Shea, as he said to "EuroFora".

But, once again, Turkey intervened : Now it's about Ankara's objections against Danish Prime Minister,  Anders Fogh Rasmussen's candidacy as new NATO's Secretary General, which should, in principle, be decided by the Heads of State/Government Summit, tonight.

New US President Obama reportedly backed Rasmussen's candidacy, and most of his EU partners apparently agreed.  But Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan accused Rasmussen in public to be impopular among some Islamic movements, because he had defended freedom of expression against some excessive reactions to the provocations by a controversial artist in the famous case of  anti-Moameth "Cartoons", that hilmself had also condemned, but not censored.

But, facts indicate that, the real reasons for which Turkey might block the election Danish PM at NATOs Summit would be much more selfish : Denmark has had, indeed, in the past also another "Freedom of Expression" row vis a vis Turkey itself, on a Kurdish language Radio-TV.

Buit the most important seems to be the InterState application lodged by the Danish Government agains Turkey for Torture/Inhuman-Degrading treatments, by offering protection to a Danish Citizen of Turkish origin, who had denounced that torture was largely practiced by Ankara.

Later on, Denmark and Turkey agreed to drop the case by "Friendly Agreement", earlier in Strasbourg, once Ankara promissed to eradicate Torture all over the Country, and to take, all necessary measures to fight against Impnity and Inhuman and degrading treatments.

However, EU Parliament's latest Resolution oin Tukey, adopted in 2009, denounces, on the contrarry, the fact that the Number of reported cases of Torture "is growing" in the country...

So that, if anyone denounced this fact into CoE's Committee of Ministers, then, Ankara would be anew exposed for persistent failure to comply with ECHR's judgements on a core-Human Rights issue..

Now, it might be that it wasn't so much Liberal Rasmussen himself, bur rather his ChristianDemocrat Foreign Minister, Per Stig Moller, of another party, who could have been more active on such issues..

But, at any case, a brake is a brake, ... unless all this was just hard bargaining behind closed doors... .

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