|
|
Article: Meanwhile, in Europe's Arkansas.(appointment of Willy Claes as North Atlantic Treaty Organization secretary general)(On the Scene)
- Article from:
- National Review
- Article date:
- March 20, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 National Review, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Brussels
The first months with Willy Claes at the helm of the Atlantic Alliance will not be remembered fondly by NATO officials. Claes, an obstinate Belgian, made a series of diplomatic blunders. Now that his past has started to haunt him, he might drag NATO along in an obscure corruption scandal.
When Claes was nominated secretary general of NATO last fall, an important condition had not been fulfilled, one to which I referred in an article I wrote for the London Spectator last December. Belgium, although a small country, has traditionally played an important role in European politics. When Britain, France, and Germany cannot agree on who should be given a ...