http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L29218594.htmISTANBUL, June 29 (Reuters) - France has blocked a U.S. bid to deploy NATO's new strike force to safeguard Afghanistan's elections, stoking tension between the two allies that fell out over the Iraq war, diplomats said on Tuesday.
"France, and to a lesser extent others such as Spain, are suspicious about using the NATO Response Force (NRF)," said one envoy at the alliance summit in Istanbul.
"It says the force is not ready for this kind of environment and should not be used simply as a sticking plaster for troop shortages on routine operations."
France's opposition to a proposal that could help resolve NATO's problems finding troops to make the September polls safe exasperated U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who pushed the idea hard at a meeting of allied defence ministers.
more...Back to the Freedom Fries I guess?