New Thoughts On Western Alliance In Europe

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31782, 12 September 1968, Page 5

New Thoughts On Western Alliance In Europe

(From HOWARD WILLIAMS in Brussels) The Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia has proved many things to many people: that once a State is in the web of the Communist spider it cannot escape; that Russia is one of the world’s most menacing imperialist powers; that die Communists can never be trusted to live a life of peaceful coexistence ... and so on.

Depending on one’s political views, the situation can be geared to prove almost any point. But one of the hard facts that has been proven to Western leaders is that there is still a need for a strong Western alliance in Europe. This point is so strong that It may have even saved the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation from gradual, if not rapid, disintegration. For next year, each of the 15 N.A.T.O. member governments must decide whether it wishes to continue its membership of the alliance. The North Atlantic Treaty, which set up N.A.T.0., was i signed bv 12 governments on April 4, 1949. [The North Atlantic Treaty governments are Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portu- ’ gal. United Kingdom and United States of America.] Article 13 stated: “After the treaty has been in force for 20 years, any party may cease to be a party one year after its notice of denunciation has been given.” And although the N.A.T.O. pact has grown since its inception—with the admittance of Greece and Turkeyin 1952 and West Germany in 1955—there have been recent signs that some member gov-

ernments were prepared to give the organisation the kiss of death. On N.A.T.O.’s north flank, Norway has been discussing for some time the possibility of withdrawing from the alliance; in the central flanks, Holland has been having similar thoughts. The very heart of N.A.T.6. (geographically speaking), France, has all but withdrawn

) from the alliance; and on the s west flank, the United States government has been planning i a massive reduction in direct / support to the eastern flanks. » Greece, Turkey and Portu- , gal have also had their ’ spasms of wavering: Greece and Turkey because of their . eternal bi-partisan squabbles , and Portugal because of growi ing discord in its relation-

! ships with the United Kingi dom over colonial polices. > Add to these factors the t apparent growing harmony between N.A.T.O. and the ■ Warsaw Pact countries in ; recent times and it is easy to understand why certain • governments could see no need for the continuation of ’ a Western European military ' alliance. But Russia’s rape of Czechoslovakia has changed the situation. Norwegians are beginning to wonder whether Russia might try a military take-over of their northernmost territory (which has been a matter of constant verbal dispute between the two countries for some time) if Norway did not have the N.A.T.O. “insurance.” The Greek and Turkish governments, which have lived in constant fear since the last World War of a pos- ] sible Communist take-over, i are now trembling at the i thought of Soviet tanks roll- > ing southwards. i The United States will ; clearly be led to second 1 thoughts about the size of its withdrawal from Europe. And 1 the Dutch have had their i illusions of an entente with 1 the Socialist bloc shattered, i The future of N.A.T.O. has : been guaranteed and its mili- i tary leaders can now plan ahead confident of this fact. ’