NATO Secretary-General George Robertson said in Brussels Wednesday there was still no consensus among the 19 members on whether the alliance should have a role in post-war Iraq.
At a meeting in Brussels last Thursday, some NATO members expressed willingness to consider a peacekeeping role for NATO in Iraq if the need arose.
"I did not hear any dissent but there is no consensus yet," Robertson told reporters after unveiling an exhibition on weapons of mass destruction.
"Clearly if people want NATO, they will ask for NATO and at that point NATO will consider what the options are," he said at the NATO headquarters in Brussels.
NATO's only role in the US-led Iraq war was to deploy air defense missiles and surveillance planes to NATO-member Turkey to protect it against potential attacks from neighboring Iraq.
Robertson said events in Iraq were moving rapidly and it was premature to speculate about ways NATO might be involved.
"As and when we see developments becoming clearer, then the NATO council will obviously want to look and see where NATO might,if it is wanted, become involved in post-conflict Iraq," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency April 10, 2003)
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