Honoring the start of the 2-day NATO Summit in Istanbul, fighter jets fly in formation over the summit site.

The 2004 Istanbul Summit or the 17th NATO Summit was a NATO summit held in Istanbul, Turkey from June 28 to June 29, 2004. During this summit, NATO Heads of State and Government welcomed seven new members and officially expanded the alliance's presence in the War in Afghanistan, agreed to assist Iraq with training, launched a new partnership initiative and adopted measures to improve NATO’s operational capabilities. In general, this summit is seen as a continuation of the transformation process that begun in the 2002 Prague Summit, which hoped to create a shift from a Cold War alliance against Soviet aggression to a 21st century coalition against new and out-of-area security threats.^[1][2] Demonstrators from around the world gathered to protest against NATO or the American foreign policy under the George W. Bush Administration. The summit itself was blown off the front pages of the world press by the unexpected transfer of Iraqi sovereignty, coinciding with the first day of the NATO summit on June 28.^[3] NATO 2002 Summit in Prague. ... Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: , historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural and financial center. ... Combatants Taliban al-Qaeda IMU Hezbi Islami Afghanistan Northern Alliance United Nations: ISAF NATO, including: Canada United Kingdom Netherlands France United States Commanders Osama bin Laden Mohammed Omar Obaidullah Akhund Mullah Dadullah Bismillah Khan Tommy Franks Dan McNeill David Fraser Strength 12,000 claimed by Taliban Afghan Army: 46,000... The 2002 Prague Summit was a NATO summit where the heads of state and government of the NATO member states met. ... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... President of the United States, George W. Bush (right) at Camp David in March 2003, hosting the British Prime Minister Tony Blair. ... The Bush administration includes President George W. Bush, Vice President Richard Cheney, Bushs Cabinet, and other select officials and advisors. ... Iraqi sovereignty was interrupted by the multinational forces which overthrew Saddam Hussein in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ...

Security measures

In early May 2004, Turkish police arrested 16 people in Bursa on suspicion of planning to bomb the summit.^[4] The suspects were members of the radical Islamic group Ansar al-Islam, believed to have links to al-Qaeda. Guns, explosives, bomb-making booklets and 4,000 CDs with training advice from Osama Bin Laden were also seized. Bursa (formerly known as Brusa or Prusa) is the capital of the Bursa Province in northwestern Turkey. ... Islam (Arabic: ; ( â–¶ (help· info)), the submission to God) is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions and the worlds second-largest religion. ... Ansar al-Islam (Arabic: انصار الاسلام, Supporters or Partisans of Islam) is a Kurdish Sunni Islamist group, promoting a radical interpretation of Islam and holy war. ... Al-Qaeda (Arabic: القاعدة, the foundation or the base) is the name given to a worldwide network of militant Islamist organizations under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. ... Osama bin Muhammad bin Awad bin Laden (Arabic: ‎; born March 10, 1957[1]), most often mentioned as Osama bin Laden or Usama bin Laden, is a Saudi Arabian militant Islamist and is widely believed to be one of the founders of the organization called al-Qaeda. ...

Before and during the summit, unprecedented security surrounded the conference, especially after two bombs went off on 24 June, one in a bus in Istanbul killing 4 people (including the bomber) and one bomb went off outside a hotel in Ankara where US president George W. Bush would be staying.^[5][6] On June 25, explosives were found in a parked car in the car park at the airport of Istanbul.^[7] The Turkish government also feared repetition of the Istanbul bombings of 2003 that killed more than 60. Security measures included Turkish war ships and Turkish commandos in rubber boats patrolling the Bosporus, AWACS surveillance planes, F-16 warplanes circling above the city in order to monitor a no-fly zone over the city, and the assignment of 23,000 to 24,000 police, supported by police helicopters to protect NATO's leaders.^[8][9] The Bosphorus Strait was also closed to oil tankers, the underground rail system was suspended and whole city districts were sealed off.^[10] George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... The Istanbul bombings were two truck bomb attacks carried out on two days in November 2003. ... Bosporus - photo taken from International Space Station. ... US Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft is prepared for flight in November 1997 Cockpit of RAF E-3 Sentry undergoing upgrades Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) is a radar-based electronic system designed to carry out airborne surveillance, and C3 (command, control and communications) functions for both... The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a modern multi-role jet fighter aircraft built in the United States and used by dozens of countries all over the world. ... A No-Fly Zone is a territory over which aircraft generally or certain unauthorized aircraft are not permitted to fly. ...

Nevertheless, a small bomb or explosive devise blew up on an empty Turkish Airlines plane on June 29 as workers were cleaning it at the main Istanbul airport. Three of the workers were slightly injured.^[11] Turkish Airlines (Turkish Türk Hava Yolları) (THY) is the national airline of Turkey based in Istanbul. ...

The extent of disruption caused by the security measures was heavily criticized by several Turkish newspapers. The newspaper Cumhuriyet for instance called the situation "a total disgrace" and that Istanbul and Ankara looked like "ghost cities for a couple of days, imprisoning the people, emptying the streets and stopping boats from leaving."^[12] The newspaper further added that people died because emergency services were unable to reach them. Cumhuriyet (literally republic in Turkish) is an intellectual center-left Turkish daily newspaper founded on May 7, 1924 by journalist Yunus Nadi Abalıoğlu. ...

Demonstrations

Demonstrators protest against the summit in Istanbul.

During June, there was a surge in demonstrations against the upcoming NATO summit, resulting in almost daily protests in Turkey.^[13][14] For instance on June 16, Turkish riot police detained some 40 people during a demonstration and on June 21, police used water cannon, tear gas and armoured vehicles to disperse activists who barricaded streets and threw petrol bombs.^[15] Throughout June, anti-NATO protestors from around the Western and the Muslim world gathered at Istanbul to demonstrate. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 580 KB) [edit] Summary Demonstration against NATO summit. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 580 KB) [edit] Summary Demonstration against NATO summit. ... Riot control are the measures to control a riot or to break up an unwanted demonstration (usually of protestors). ... The term Western world or the West (also on rare occasions called the Occident) can have multiple meanings depending on its context (i. ... Nations with a Muslim majority appear in green, while nations that are approximately 50% Muslim appear yellow. ...

Protests varied from opposition to the US-led Afghanistan War and Iraq War, opposition to NATO's presence in the Balkans, opposition against a new potential more aggressive role for NATO, the continuing existence of nuclear weapons, and claims the USA abused NATO to support its policies in Afghanistan, Iraq and the wider Middle East.^[16] This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...

Just before the summit, US president George W. Bush traveled to Ankara, the capital of Turkey for advance meetings with Turkish leaders.^[17] Then and during the summit demonstrations enlarged and tens of thousands of Turks, many chanting anti-Bush slogans, demonstrated in the streets of Istanbul. On June 28, thousands of demonstrators tried to disrupt the NATO meeting by staging several simultaneous demonstrations around the city.^[18] Riot police sprayed tear gas at anti-NATO demonstrators as protesters and police clashed in running street battles. At least 30 people, including five police officers, were injured when anti-NATO protesters hurling paving stones and petrol bombs clashed with riot police. Some 20 persons were detained in the protests. The riot police and paramilitary gendarmes, backed by armoured vehicles baton, charged some 2,000 demonstrators in the Okmeydani area of Instanbul, about 3 km west of the summit building. The police also broke up a smaller crowd in the Mecidiyekoy area when they tried to march towards the summit about 3 km to the south. At least six persons were detained. In a separate protest, Greenpeace activists, dangling from a vast suspension bridge over the Bosphorus Strait, unfurled a 30 m banner showing a dove of peace with a nuclear missile in its beak and the phrase "Nukes out of NATO". Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the countrys second largest city after Ä°stanbul. ... A riot control agent is a type of lachrymatory agent (or lacrimatory agent). ... Greenpeace protest against Esso / Exxon Mobil. ... Peace sign redirects here. ... A nuclear missile is a type of: missile nuclear weapon It could also refer to a missile with some form of nuclear propulsion, such as the Project Pluto cruise missile. ...

Summit meetings

June 2004 was arguably of the most intense months of summitry in the history of transatlantic relations. The NATO summit followed on the D-Day's 60th anniversary celebrations in Normandy (France) on June 6; on the 30th G8 summit from June 8 until June 10 in Georgia (United States); and on the meetings with EU leaders in Dublin (Ireland) on June 24.^[19] A summit meeting (or summit) is a meeting of heads of state or government, usually with considerable media exposure, tight security and a prearranged agenda. ... Atlantic derives from Ancient Greek mythology: Altas as one of the Titans at the Rockefeller Center in New York City Transatlantic relations refers to the historic, cultural, political, economic and social relations between countries on both side of the Atlantic Ocean, specifically between the United States, Canada and the countries... Land on Normandy In military parlance, D-Day is a term often used to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. ... Flag of Normandy Normandy (in French: Normandie, and in Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region in northern France. ... The 30th G8 Summit took place in 2002 and was called the Kananaskis Summit. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ...

Danish foreign minister Per Stig Møller (left) and Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen (right) at the summit.

The 2004 Istanbul summit consisted of four main meetings, all held in the Istanbul Lutfi Kirdar Convention and Exhibition Center: the North Atlantic Council (NATO's highest decision-making body, attended by heads of state and government from each of the 26 Alliance member countries); the NATO-Russia Council (which met only at the level of foreign ministers, since Russian President Vladimir Putin stayed away, reflecting ongoing tension between NATO and Russia over NATO enlargement and the Adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty); the NATO-Ukraine Commission; and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (46 countries including many former Eastern bloc and former Soviet states).^[20] Besides these meetings, several visits and question sessions were made on June 26 and June 27, and several press conferences by heads of government of state or government were made after or in between the above mentioned meetings.^[21] Per Stig Møller Per Stig Møller (born August 27, 1942 in Frederiksberg) is the current Foreign Minister, as of 2005. ... Anders Fogh Rasmussen , also: (born January 26, 1953) is the current Prime Minister of Denmark (in Danish Statsminister, meaning State Minister). ... North Atlantic Council is the most senior political governing body of NATO. The NAC can be held at the Permanent Representative Level (PermReps), or can be comprised of member states Ministers of State, Defense, or Heads of State. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: ) (born October 7, 1952) is the incumbent President of Russia. ... The Adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty is a post-Cold War adaptation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), signed on November 19, 1999. ... The Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) is a NATO organization, a multilateral forum created to improve relations between NATO and non-NATO countries in Europe and those parts of Asia on the European periphery. ... A joint press conference by U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair at the White House. ...

Almost forgotten in coverage of the summit was that seven new members from the former Warsaw Pact – Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Romania – joined NATO in March 2004 and were formally welcomed into the Alliance.^[22] Unofficial Seal of the Warsaw Pact Distinguish from the Warsaw Convention, which is an agreement about airlines financial liability and the Treaty of Warsaw (1970) between West Germany and the Peoples Republic of Poland. ...

North Atlantic Council meeting (June 28)

Once the North Atlantic Council meeting on June 28 was concluded a statement called the Istanbul Declaration: Our security in a new era was issued. In this statement the leaders summarized the main conclusions of the discussions.^[23] North Atlantic Council is the most senior political governing body of NATO. The NAC can be held at the Permanent Representative Level (PermReps), or can be comprised of member states Ministers of State, Defense, or Heads of State. ...

Expanded presence in Afghanistan

Several days before the summit, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer described Afghanistan as "priority number one".^[24] During the summit, NATO members officially agreed that the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) will take on command of four new Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT's) (one in Mazar-e-Sharif, Meymana, Feyzabad and Baghlan).^[25] Until then ISAF only provided security in around the capital city Kabul and commanded one PRT in Kunduz. NATO also vowed to beef up its Afghanistan peace force from 6,500 to 10,000 to help make the Afghanistani presidential election of 2004 secure. Diplomats said it did not yet have firm offers from allies for that many extra troops.^[26] Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer meeting George Bush on March 20, 2006 The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is the chair of the North Atlantic Council, the supreme decision-making organisation of the defence alliance. ... Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (right) and Jan Peter Balkenende Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (left) and Colin Powell Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (legally Jakob Gijsbert de Hoop Scheffer) (born April 3, 1948) is a Dutch politician who is the 11th NATO Secretary General. ... Logo of ISAF. Persian writing: Ú©Ù…Ú© Ùˆ همکاری (Komak va Hamkari) means Help and Cooperation. International Security Assistance Force (10) (ISAF) is an international military force in Afghanistan led by NATO and consisting of about 32,000 personnel from 37 nations as of October 5, 2006. ... A Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) is an administrative unit of international aid to Afghanistan, consisting of a small operating base from which a group of sixty to more than one hundred civilians and military specialists work to perform small reconstruction projects or provide security for others involved in aid work. ... Mazār-e Sharīf, also known as Mazar-e-Sharif, Mazar-i Sharif and Mazar-i-Sharif (in Persian مزار شریف), is a city in northern Afghanistan and the capital of Balkh province. ... Feyzabad (also spelled Fayzabad) is the largest city in the Afghan Badakhshan province with around 50. ... The city of Baghlan was established in Afghanistan in approximately 1960. ... For other places with the same name, see Kabul (disambiguation). ... President Celal Bayar, King Zahir and Lord Serwar Nasher inspecting the once world-renown cotton of Kunduz Spinzar factory Kunduz (قندوز) is a city in Afghanistan; the name has also sometimes been rendered as Kûnduz, Qonduz, Qondûz, Konduz, Kondûz, Kondoz, or Qhunduz. ... A Joint Electoral Management Body employee, right, explains how to fill out an election ballot to an Afghan woman in the village of Raban An election to the office of President of Afghanistan was held on October 9, 2004. ...

Iraq troop training

The summit was dominated by divisions over the Iraq war, with the Allies able to agree only to limited assistance in the form of training for Iraqi security forces. The NATO support given to Iraq troop training was in response to a request by the Iraqi Interim Government, and in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1546, which requests international and regional organisations to contribute assistance to the multinational force.^[27] Even this limited agreement contained areas of contention, with France insisting that it would only help with training outside Iraq, while the United States favored that the training would take place inside Iraq.^[28] As a consequence, the deal was left deliberately vague and differences remained on whether NATO should train Iraqi officers inside Iraq, or limit itself to training outside the country and acting as a clearing house for national efforts.^[29] The commitment was also vague as it was not made clear what the size of the training mission would be or exactly when and where it would take place. German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, known for his earlier opposition to the Iraq War, commented: "The engagement of NATO is reduced to training and only training. We have made clear that we don't want to see German soldiers in Iraq." For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ... The Iraqi Interim matt chokes on cock Government was created by the United States and its coalition allies as a caretaker government to govern Iraq until the Iraqi Transitional Government was installed following the Iraqi National Assembly election conducted on January 30th, 2005. ... United Nations Security Council Resolution 1546 was adopted unanimously by the United Nations Security Council at its 4987th meeting, on 8 June 2004. ... A clearing house (or clearinghouse) is an organization affiliated with a securities or derivatives exchange that completes the transactions on that exchange by seeing to validation, delivery, and settlement. ... Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder [] (born April 7, 1944 in Mossenberg-Wöhren), a German politician, has been serving as Chancellor of Germany since 1998. ... For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ...

Despite outwardly optimistic statements by the US concerning NATO's commitment towards Iraqi troop training, the most powerful NATO members (in particular France and Germany) refused to share the burden of responsibility for the situation in Iraq and did not support the US and British demand for sending NATO troops to that country.^[30] In other words, participation in the multinational forces in Iraq was left to the discretion of the particular alliance members and the USA relunctantly consented to troop training outside Iraq. Consequently, despite an outward show of NATO unity, the split over Iraq still persisted and tensions in interstate relations within the alliance were not resolved. The word multinational can refer to: A Multinational corporation A Multinational State This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ...

Plan to enhance operational capabilities

NATO leaders endorsed measures to improve the Alliance’s ability to take on operations when and where necessary, committing themselves to be able at all times to deploy and sustain larger proportions of their forces on Alliance operations in order to ensure that the Alliance has a permanently available pool of assets and forces that can deployed on missions.^[31] They also endorsed changes to NATO’s defence planning, hoping that the Alliance’s long-term defence planning process will become more flexible, with an aim to helping member countries generate forces that can reach further, faster and still take on the full range of missions.

Plan to enhance anti-terrorism efforts

NATO leaders hoped to boost the Alliance’s anti-terrorism efforts with an agreement to improve intelligence sharing and to develop new, high-tech defences against terrorist attacks.^[32] NATO members committed themselves to improve intelligence sharing through a Terrorist Threat Intelligence Unit at NATO headquarters in Brussels. This Unit, created after the September 11 attacks, became permanent and analyzes general terrorist threats, as well as those that are more specifically aimed at NATO. NATO will also stand ready to assist any member country in dealing with potential or real terrorist attacks. The Alliance’s AWACS early warning radar aircraft and Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear Defence Battalion can be made available to any member requesting such assistance. Heads of State and Government also gave direction to develop a package of high-tech capabilities to protect civilians and forces from terrorist attacks. Anti-terrorism is a philosophical antithesis that emerges from a thorough examining of the concept of terrorism as well as an attempt to understand and articulate what constitutes terrorism. ... SHAPE Emblem Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the central command of NATO military forces. ... The World Trade Center on fire The September 11, 2001 attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. ... US Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft is prepared for flight in November 1997 Cockpit of RAF E-3 Sentry undergoing upgrades Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) is a radar-based electronic system designed to carry out airborne surveillance, and C3 (command, control and communications) functions for both...

Istanbul Cooperation Initiative

NATO leaders decided to elevate the Alliance’s Mediterranean Dialogue to a genuine partnership and to launch the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) with selected countries in the broader region of the Middle East.^[33] The initiative is an offer to engage in practical security cooperation activities with states throughout the Greater Middle East.^[34] This new initiative stands alongside NATO's Partnership for Peace Program and the Mediterranean Dialogue. NATO itself regards these security cooperation partnerships as a response to the new challenges of the 21st century and as a complement to the G8 and U.S.-EU decisions to support calls for reform from within the Broader Middle East region. The ICI offers practical cooperation with interested nations in the Greater Middle East in such areas as: The Mediterranean Dialogue, first launched in 1994 is a forum of cooperation between NATO and seven countries of the Mediterranean with the aim of contributing to regional security and stability by achieving mutual understanding and dispelling misconceptions about NATO among Dialogue countries. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... The traditional Middle East and the G8s Greater Middle East. ... Partnership for Peace is a NATO project aimed at creating trust between NATO and other states in Europe and the former Soviet Union. ... The Mediterranean Dialogue, first launched in 1994 is a forum of cooperation between NATO and seven countries of the Mediterranean with the aim of contributing to regional security and stability by achieving mutual understanding and dispelling misconceptions about NATO among Dialogue countries. ... The Group of Eight (G8) is an international forum for the governments of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. ...

• Counter-WMD;
• Counterterrorism;
• Training and education;
• Participation in NATO exercises;
• Promoting military interoperability;
• Disaster preparedness and civil emergency planning;
• Tailored advice on defense reform and civil-military relations; and
• Cooperation on border security to help prevent illicit trafficking of drugs, weapons, and people.

Weapons of Mass Destruction is also the name of rapper Xzibits 2004 album. ... Counter-terrorism refers to the practices, tactics, and strategies that governments, militaries, and other groups adopt in order to fight terrorism. ...

End of the SFOR mission

NATO members agreed to end the NATO-led Stabilisation Force (SFOR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which began the mission in 1996, but will maintain a presence in the country to assist in certain areas such as defence reform, or the pursuit of persons indicted for war crimes.^[35] Heads of State and Government also welcomed a decision by the European Union to establish a follow-on mission, which will take over the 7,500-member mission and which will be supported by NATO under existing NATO-EU agreements. Members of the Dutch, French, German and U.S. military watch as an Italian honour guard hoists the new Stabilisation Force flag during the Stabilisation Force (SFOR) activation ceremony in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the 20 of December 1996 Pocket badge of the SFOR The Stabilisation Force (SFOR) was... In the context of war, a war crime is a punishable offense under International Law, for violations of the laws of war by any person or persons, military or civilian. ...

NATO-Russia Council meeting (June 28)

Discussions with Russia on NATO concessions in return for Russian President Vladimir Putin's attendance had been underway for some months before the summit, and intensified as the summit date drew closer. On May 17, in the run-up to the NATO summit, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer indicated in a speech that Putin signalled that he might honor the summit with his presence if "the conditions will be right".^[36] It is unclear what conditions were under discussion, but it is speculated that Putin's conditions included an enhanced Russian role in NATO decision-making through the NATO-Russia Council (NRC), NATO acceptance of Russia's continued military presence in Moldova and Georgia (which breached the Adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty (adapted CFE Treaty)); a move of NATO members to ratify that same treaty and to place the three Baltic states, that joined NATO in March 2004, under military restrictions.^[37][38] It appeared that Putin did not receive satisfaction in discussions ahead of the NATO summit - at least not to the extent that he may have expected. When NATO officials indicated that Putin would probably not attend the summit, Russia's Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov reacted on the same day (June 2) by stressing the importance that Moscow attaches to enhancing its role in NRC and that Russia had not declined the invitation to attend the NRC meeting. List of Presidents of Russia Boris Yeltsin1 (July 10, 1991 – December 31, 1999) two terms. ... Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: ) (born October 7, 1952) is the incumbent President of Russia. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty is a post-Cold War adaptation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), signed on November 19, 1999. ... The three Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania The Baltic states refer to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. ... Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov, in Russian Сергей Викторович Лавров, is the minister of foreign affairs of the Russian Federation. ...

One academic analysis of the summit suggested that a large part of the Western elite still regard Russia as a kind of USSR, although Russia not only has new borders, but also new aspirations, new international partners, and new threats.^[39] (For instance, Russia only had one brigade in the Leningrad Military District and only one naval brigade in the Baltic Sea as it no longer thought that the European theatre contained threats.) However, the mental stereotypes that took shape during the Cold War wittingly or unwittingly affected the relations between countries and partners in the NATO-Russia Council, perhaps because of the accession of seven former communist states to the NATO alliance, states that still perceived Russia as a threat. Due to these perceptions, the summit took no notice of Russia’s proposals for the earliest possible entry into force of the Adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty and Russia's ratification of the treaty on the eve of the summit. NATO member states refused to a reciprocal ratification of the treaty as long as Russian troops did not withdraw from Georgia and Moldova (obligations Russia had assumed at the OSCE's 1999 Istanbul Summit). According to a statement by the Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov during the summit, these demands are incorrect, because "the political understandings did not set any time limit for physical action". In addition, Russia faced new threats on its southern borders: the possibility of missile launches from Iran and the expansion of Islamic terrorism, which require - in the perspective of Russia - Russian military presence in Georgia and Armenia. In military science a brigade is a military unit that is part of a division and includes regiments (where that level exists), or (in modern armies) is composed of several battalions (typically two to four) and directly attached supporting units. ... The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. ... For the 1996 Blur single, see Stereotypes (song). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty is a post-Cold War adaptation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), signed on November 19, 1999. ... Ratification includes the process of adopting an international treaty by the legislature, a constitution, or another nationally binding document (such as an amendment to a constitution) by the agreement of multiple sub-national entities. ... The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is an international organization for security. ... View on Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, Moscow, Russia, 9 May 2003. ... Sergey Lavrov. ... Islamist terrorism, sometimes called Islamic terrorism, is terrorism that is carried out to further the political and religious ambitions of a segment of the Muslim community. ...

NATO-Ukraine Commission meeting (June 29)

This meeting was between NATO leaders and president of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma. NATO members expressed appreciation for Ukraine’s contributions to NATO-led and other international peace support efforts such as KFOR.^[40] Ukraine also offered to support Operation Active Endeavour in the Mediterranean as well, an offer which NATO would consider. Defence cooperation between NATO and Ukraine was reviewed and the possible launching of a Partnership for Peace Trust Fund to help Ukraine destroy the surplus munitions, small arms and light weapons was discussed. NATO welcomed Ukraine’s desire to achieve full integration into NATO. It was emphasized however that this will require more than troop contributions and defence reform, such as the commitment to the values that underpin the Alliance (democracy, rule of law, freedom of speech and media, and fair elections) as was foreseen in the NATO-Ukraine Action Plan, which was adopted during the 2002 Prague Summit. Mariyinsky Palace The President of Ukraine (Ukrainian: , Prezydent Ukrayiny) is the head of the state of Ukraine and acts in its name. ... Leonid Kuchma Leonid Danylovych Kuchma (Ukrainian: Леонід Данилович Кучма; born August 9, 1938) was the second President of Ukraine from July 19, 1994, to January 23, 2005. ... Pocket badge of the KFOR Ukrainian soldier on foot patrolling in Serbian village near Brezovica KFOR vehicle of the French Army The Kosovo Force (KFOR) is a NATO-led international force responsible for establishing and maintaining security in Kosovo. ... Operation Active Endeavour is a naval operation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... The 2002 Prague Summit was a NATO summit where the heads of state and government of the NATO member states met. ...

Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council meeting (June 29)

This meeting was mostly symbolic and didn't have any concrete proposals or results. Nevertheless some policies or earlier decisions were reaffirmed or emphasized. First of all, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) Heads of State and Government met with President Hamid Karzai of the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan and discussed the progress in that country, and recognized the valuable role played by both Allies and Partners who make up the ISAF, but also emphasized that much remains to be done for Afghanistan to become a peaceful and stable country, fully integrated into the international community.^[41] Secondly, the commitment of the Euro-Atlantic community to peace, security and stability in the Balkans was reaffirmed. Further, the presence of the Heads of State of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro at their meeting as observers was welcomed, and these leaders were urged them to meet the outstanding conditions set for Partnership for Peace membership by Allies. Thirdly, the resolve to fight terrorism was reaffirmed and some initiatives aimed at increasing the EAPC’s contribution in this fight were taken, thereby endorsing the further implementation of the Partnership Action Plan against Terrorism. The Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) is a NATO organization, a multilateral forum created to improve relations between NATO and non-NATO countries in Europe and those parts of Asia on the European periphery. ... Hamid Karzai (Pashto: حامد کرزي, Persian: حامد کرزی) (b. ... It has been suggested that World community be merged into this article or section. ... Partnership for Peace is a NATO project aimed at creating trust between NATO and other states in Europe and the former Soviet Union. ...

Fourthly, support for a major report on the future development of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership, which outlines the core objectives of Partnership (political dialogue and practical co-operation, the promotion of democratic values across the Euro-Atlantic area, preparing interested Partners for participation in NATO-led operations and support Partners who wish to join the Alliance). Fifthly, the commitment to building a Partnership which would be tailored to the different needs of individual Partners was reaffirmed. In this respect, NATO's intention to place a special focus on relations with the states of the Caucasus and Central Asia was welcomed, including the decision by the Alliance to appoint one liaison officer for each region. They also welcomed the launching of the Individual Partnership Action Plan process by several states of these two regions. Sixthly, NATO's Policy on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, which was developed in consultation with the EAPC partners, was endorsed. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Caucasus Mountains. ... Map of Central Asia showing three sets of possible boundaries for the region Central Asia located as a region of the world Central Asia is a vast landlocked region of Asia. ... NATO launched IPAPs at the November 2002 Prague Summit, Individual Partnership Action Plans (IPAPs) are open to countries that have the political will and ability to deepen their relationship with NATO.[1] Currently IPAPs are in implementation with the following countries:  Georgia (29 October 2004)  Azerbaijan (27 May 2005)  Armenia...

One absence gained some media attention: Armenian president Robert Kocharian refused to join the summit in order to draw the alliance's attention to problems in relations between the two countries. These tensions found their origin mostly in Turkey's refusal to see the Armenian genocide, committed during World War I by Turks, as a genocide.^[42] There have been two Presidents of Armenia since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. ... Robert Sedraki Kocharian (IPA: , Armenian: ) (born August 31, 1954) is the second president of the third republic of Armenia. ... Armenian Genocide photo. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ...

Announcement of the transfer of Iraqi sovereignty

President Bush wrote "Let freedom reign!" on Rice's note about the handover of power to the Iraqi government.

While the transfer of Iraqi sovereignty was not decided during the summit, this transfer had some connections to the summit. First of all, the news of the unexpected transfer was made public during the summit. BBC News reports that Iraq's foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari, speaking after a breakfast meeting with Blair in Istanbul on June 28, "slipped" prematurely that the handover of sovereignty to his country was being brought forward to coincide with the meeting.^[43] Later that day, US National Security advisor Condoleezza Rice gave US president Bush during the summit the following note: "Mr. President, Iraq is sovereign. Letter was passed from [Paul] Bremer at 10:26 am Iraq time - Condi". Bush scribbled in the margin of this note: "Let freedom reign!".^[44][45] Bush then turned to British prime minister Tony Blair, seated next to him, whispered that the handover had happened, and the two men shook hands.^[46] Later that day, Bush and Blair held a joint press conference, in which they welcomed the transfer.^[47] Secondly, the news of the handover pushed the summit from the front pages.^[48] Iraqi sovereignty was interrupted by the multinational forces which overthrew Saddam Hussein in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... The current BBC News logo BBC News and Current Affairs is a major arm of the BBC responsible for the corporations newsgathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... Hoshyar Zebari (born 1953) is the current Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs, part of the cabinet appointed by the Interim Iraq Governing Council in September 2003. ... The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor, serves as the chief advisor to the President of the United States on national security issues. ... Condoleezza Rice (born November 14, 1954) is the 66th United States Secretary of State, and the second in the administration of President George W. Bush to hold the office. ... Paul Bremer Lewis Paul Bremer III (born September 30, 1941), known as Paul Bremer and also nicknamed Jerry Bremer, was named Director of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance for post-war Iraq following the Iraq War of 2003, replacing Jay Garner on May 6, 2003. ... In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. ... For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the Labour Party, and Member of Parliament for the constituency...

Views on the summit

It is believed by observors that the expectations for a successful summit were deliberately set low. NATO leaders avoided a flare-up over the Iraq War; agreed to meet the modest goals the Alliance had already set for itself in trying to stabilise Afghanistan; and endorsed a tepid version of the Bush administration’s initiative to promote modernisation and democracy in the Arab world.^[49] Some observors regarded the summit as "a sort of "Waiting for Godot" quality about it — European leaders biding time, neither creating a crisis nor mending fences, in the hope that the American election in November will somehow spare them from the choice between having to deal with Bush and letting Iraq, and NATO, slide into further disarray."^[50] Other analyses were even more critical: "There have been NATO summits at which neither a special occasion was acknowledged nor decisions of particular relevance made. One example is the NATO summit in Istanbul in 2004, where the concluded measures hardly required a meeting of the heads of state and government, and the media presence was not justified by the agreed-upon resolutions."^[51] US and other government officials however emphasized that the summit was significant in terms of the alliance's unprecedented outreach beyond its traditional North Atlantic focus and its aggressive emphasis on force planning to tackle new, demanding challenges worldwide.^[52] The Bush administration includes President George W. Bush, Vice President Richard Cheney, Bushs Cabinet, and other select officials and advisors. ... Map of Arab League states in dark green with non-Arab areas in light green and Somalia and Djibouti in striped green due to their Arab League membership but non-Arab population. ... Waiting for Godot (French: ), subtitled A Tragicomedy in Two Acts, is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, written in the late 1940s and first published in 1952. ... Presidential election results map. ...

NATO's 2004 Istanbul summit was also remarkably silent on the subject of nuclear weapons policy and non-proliferation, as opposed to earlier post-Cold War NATO summits and contrary to the demonstrations going on in Istanbul.^[53] In June 2004, shortly before the summit, NATO issued two fact sheets on nuclear policy, attempting to portray developments within NATO in a favourable light in the run up to the 2005 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference. However, the number of US nuclear weapons based in Europe remained unchanged at 480 since the 1994 US Nuclear posture review, Cold War nuclear sharing arrangements dating back to the 1960s remained in force, and no changes were made to Alliance nuclear policy since the 1999 Strategic Concept. The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 kilometers (11 mi) above the hypocenter. ... World map with nuclear weapons development status represented by color. ... Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Opened for signature July 1, 1968 in New York Entered into force March 5, 1970 Conditions for entry into force Ratification by the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, and 40 other signatory states. ... Nuclear Posture Review 2002 Second review of US Nuclear Forces undertaken by the US Department of Defence. ...

Further, the meeting is considered important in a symbolical manner. First of all, it was the first NATO summit between the leaders of most Western European and Eastern European states (as well as the US and Canada), states that were finally, after decades of tension that first came to existence during the 1945 Yalta Conference, together in the same alliance.^[54] The media attention that these new members received during the summit, opened public debates about whether there was still a consensus about the purpose, the perceived threats and the future borders of NATO among its 26 members. That this was not the case, became clear in the run-up to the 2006 Riga Summit. Secondly, the holding of the summit in Istanbul made it the most eastern summit in NATO's history. It marked the increasingly key role played by Turkey as a major strategic hub due to its location close to the hotbeds of tension and conflict in the South Caucasus and the Middle East. The location of the summit made clear that NATO’s security concerns had shifted towards the southeastern part of the European continent. By shifting eastwards, the Alliance’s centre of gravity ventured into very different areas from those on which the Cold War military NATO had focused. The borders of Western Europe were largely defined by the Cold War. ... Map of Eastern Europe Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium orange),members of the Warsaw pact (light orange), and other former Communist regimes not aligned with Moscow (lightest orange). ... The Big Three at the Yalta Conference, Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin. ... South Caucasus: Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan South Caucasus (also referred sometimes as Transcaucasus) is a name to the transitional region between Europe and Asia extending from the Greater Caucasus to the Turkish and Iranian borders, between the Black and Caspian seas. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ...

References

The International Herald Tribune (or IHT) is fully owned by the New York Times, which along with its own staff journalists and news agencies supplies it with news and features. ... The Scotsmans offices in Edinburgh The Scotsman is a Scottish newspaper published in Edinburgh. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. ... AFP logo Paris headquarters of AFP Charles Havas Agence France-Presse (AFP) is the oldest news agency in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... The Tribune is a daily newspaper published in Chandigarh, India. ... The International Herald Tribune (or IHT) is fully owned by the New York Times, which along with its own staff journalists and news agencies supplies it with news and features. ... The International Institute for Strategic Studies is a British think tank providing information on international strategic issues for politicians and diplomats, foreign affairs analysts, international business, economists, the military, defence commentators, journalists, academics and the informed public. ... The Hindu is a leading English-language newspaper in India, with its largest base of circulation in south India. ... The Tribune is a daily newspaper published in Chandigarh, India. ... Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (right) and Jan Peter Balkenende Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (left) and Colin Powell Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (legally Jakob Gijsbert de Hoop Scheffer) (born April 3, 1948) is a Dutch politician who is the 11th NATO Secretary General. ... Leonid Kuchma Leonid Danylovych Kuchma (Ukrainian: Леонід Данилович Кучма; born August 9, 1938) was the second President of Ukraine from July 19, 1994, to January 23, 2005. ... The International Institute for Strategic Studies is a British think tank providing information on international strategic issues for politicians and diplomats, foreign affairs analysts, international business, economists, the military, defence commentators, journalists, academics and the informed public. ... The International Herald Tribune (or IHT) is fully owned by the New York Times, which along with its own staff journalists and news agencies supplies it with news and features. ... Defense News is a large American news company. ...

External links

• NATO, Istanbul Summit website, http://www.nato.int/docu/comm/2004/06-istanbul/home.htm
• USINFO, Istanbul Summit 2004 News, http://usinfo.state.gov/is/international_security/nato/nato_summit/nato_summit_news.html
• UNITED STATES MISSION TO NATO, NATO Summit, http://nato.usmission.gov/dossier/NATO_Summit.asp