NATO is continuing to try to cope with internal tensions, as two major member nations, France and Turkey, continue to fume over a June 10 incident near Libya. NATO is refusing to comment on the respective allegations, which is likely to add to the differences on both sides.
On June 10, a French Frigate tried to inspect a Tanzanian cargo ship near Libya. The cargo ship was accused to smuggling arms, and NATO ships are enforcing that ban. Three Turkish ships, however, intercepted the French ship, pointed weapons, and flashed radar lights at them while the cargo ship got away.
France is presenting this as Turkey helping the ship skirt arms embargoes, and intimidating a French ship. Turkey says the cargo ship was full of humanitarian aid, and accused France of aggression against the ship.
NATO promised more investigations, but seems to be hoping this thing goes away. France is arguing for EU sanctions on Turkey, which seems unlikely, but reflects lingering hostility.
Erdogan would call arms humanitarian aid… though the French calling that out is a pot-kettle-black kind of thing.
Libya is a disaster the US made. We now have a variety of interested European and middle-eastern powers seeking to violently impose their favorite faction on this nation and its resources. What do the Libyan people want and need, democracy for instance? Foreign meddlers don’t know or care… actually they specifically want to ensure democracy doesn’t happen. Shipments of increasingly advanced weapons are usually involved in the power struggle. Then again it’s pretty arrogant of NATO, and irrelevant to their stated purpose, to say who is and isn’t allowed to have weapons in Libya. Disband NATO!