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Nato denies Georgia and Ukraine | Nato denies Georgia and Ukraine |
(30 minutes later) | |
Nato has confirmed it will not yet offer membership to Georgia or Ukraine after the 26-member alliance was split amid strong objections from Russia. | Nato has confirmed it will not yet offer membership to Georgia or Ukraine after the 26-member alliance was split amid strong objections from Russia. |
Moscow said Nato's promise that the ex-Soviet republics would join one day was a "huge strategic mistake". | |
At a summit in Romania, Macedonia was also denied Nato entry but Albania and Croatia were given the green light. | |
US and Czech officials agreed to base a missile defence radar on Czech soil, a plan that has also angered Russia. | US and Czech officials agreed to base a missile defence radar on Czech soil, a plan that has also angered Russia. |
And President Nicolas Sarkozy indicated France would return next year to the Nato military command it left in 1966 in protest at the dominance of US commanders. | |
He also said hundreds of extra French troops would be deployed to Afghanistan, easing fears of a crisis within the Western coalition there. | |
'Not happy' | |
The announcements came after a night of diplomatic wrangling over new members which poisoned the summit atmosphere, says the BBC's Jonathan Marcus in Bucharest. | The announcements came after a night of diplomatic wrangling over new members which poisoned the summit atmosphere, says the BBC's Jonathan Marcus in Bucharest. |
US President George W Bush had called for Georgia and Ukraine to be allowed to join. | US President George W Bush had called for Georgia and Ukraine to be allowed to join. |
Row as Nato door creaks openGreek veto for Macedonia bidGeorgia eyes Iraq route | |
But the move was opposed by Germany and France, amid concerns voiced by Russia over Nato's eastward expansion. | But the move was opposed by Germany and France, amid concerns voiced by Russia over Nato's eastward expansion. |
Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told a news conference Georgia and Ukraine would become members eventually. | |
The alliance decided not to offer Ukraine and Georgia a membership action plan - a gateway to membership - but agreed on Thursday to review this in December. | |
Georgian diplomats said they were "not happy" with the delay but welcomed the promise of eventual membership. | |
Macedonian officials said their rejection was a "huge disappointment" that would undermine stability in the Balkans. | Macedonian officials said their rejection was a "huge disappointment" that would undermine stability in the Balkans. |
The US had also called for Macedonia to join but this was strongly opposed by Greece, which has a northern province that is also called Macedonia. | |
It argued that the former Yugoslav republic's insistence on being known as Macedonia implied a territorial claim. |