N.A.T.O. accord satisfies Weinberger

Press, 15 May 1981, Page 8

N.A.T.O. accord satisfies Weinberger

NZPA-Reuter Brussels The American Secretary of Defence (Mr Caspar Weinberger) said that he was “very satisfied” with the recognition by the European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation that they might be required to “facilitate” United States deployments outside Europe. He said he had no doubt that if there should be an invasion of Middle Eastern oilfields, presumably by the Soviet Union. . “countries whose vital interests” were affected would want to provide “facilities to assist in repelling the invaders.”

A statement issued, yesterday after the two-day meeting of N.A.T.O. Defence Ministers in Brussels, while promising “all the resources needed” to strengthen military forces, stopped short of assuring the United States of the use of ports and of transit and overflight rights that would be required to move forces rapidly from the United States to the Gulf or other areas. Another reason for American satisfaction. Mr Weinberger said, was that the Defence Ministers confirmed their willingness to continue raising military spending by 3 per cent a year in real terms.

This formula was agreed oh in May, 1977, but some members of the alliance, notably the United States, Britain, France, West Germany and Portugal, have gone above the 3 per cent mark in the last two years. Others, including Denmark and Canada, have lagged. Although a Soviet threat to the oil resources of the Gulf has been recognised for more than a year, American officials believe that this was the first defence meeting at which European members had faced the related ques-

tions of what they could do to help American deployment in South-west Asia and what they would have to do if that deployment cut into the reinforcements earmarked for Europe. The alliance's first step in the event of a threat to the oilfields would be to consult on the nature of the threat “in order to deter aggression and to (respond to requests from other nations for help in resisting threats to their security or independence,” the statement said. The Defence Ministers, it continued, recognised that common objectives identified n their consultations “may •equire members of the alliance to facilitate out-of-area deployments in support of the vital interests of all.” This statement fell well short of what the United States sought, military sources said.

Greece, Italy and West Germany are wary about granting port facilities or overflight rights for troops or equipment of the rapid deployment force moving to South-west Asia. Mr Weinberger, who went on to Lisbon yesterday afternoon, was expected to sound out the Portuguese Government about its attitude to these issues.