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WORLD NEWS Monday 27 June 2022
As summit host, Spain urges NATO to watch its southern flank

By JOSEPH WILSON Senegal to Sudan that suf-
Associated Press fers from political strife, ter-
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — rorism and drought.
While Russia’s invasion of “Each time I meet with
Ukraine is certain to domi- NATO ministers, the support
nate an upcoming NATO of the allies is total due to
summit in Madrid, Spain the instability that we see
and other member na- on the alliance’s southern
tions are quietly pushing frontier and especially the
the Western alliance to situation in the Sahel region
consider how mercenar- right now,” Spanish Foreign
ies aligned with Russian Minister José Albares said.
President Vladimir Putin are The Kremlin denies links to
spreading Moscow’s influ- the Wagner Group, a mer-
ence to Africa. cenary force with an in-
As the host of the summit creasing presence in cen-
taking place from Tuesday tral and North Africa and
to Thursday, Spain wants the Middle East. The private
to emphasize its proximity military company, which
to Africa as it lobbies for a has also participated in the
greater focus on Europe’s war in Ukraine, has devel-
southern flank in a new oped footholds in Libya,
document outlining NATO’s Mali, Sudan and Central
vision of its security chal- African Republic.
lenges and tasks. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks at the EU headquarters in Brussels, June 22, 2022. In Mali, Wagner soldiers are
The Strategic Concept is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is certain to dominate an upcoming NATO summit in Madrid. But host filling a void created by the
nation Spain and other members are quietly pushing the Western alliance to consider how mer-
NATO’s most important cenaries aligned with Russian President Vladimir Putin are spreading Moscow’s influence in Africa. exit of former colonial pow-
working document after (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File) er France. In Sudan, Russia’s
the North Atlantic Treaty of offer of an economic alli-
1949, which contained the cerns about instability in the alliance has worked an increased focus on “the ance earned it the promise
key provision holding that Africa. At the time, the al- to provide Ukraine with an South” is shared by Britain, of a naval base on the Red
an attack on one member liance viewed apathy as its assortment of more power- France and Italy. Sea.
is viewed as an attack upon biggest military threat; U.S. ful weapons and to avoid In their view, the security In Central African Repub-
all. The security assessment complaints that some Eu- the very real risk of getting challenges in Africa arise lic, Wagner fighters protect
is updated roughly every ropean members were not drawn into the fighting. from a Putin apparently the country’s gold and dia-
decade to reset the West’s paying their due featured But there appears to be a dead-set on restoring the mond mines. In return, Putin
security agenda. heavily in summit talks. consensus among NATO imperial glories of Russia as gets diplomatic allies and
The current version, ap- Fast forward a dozen years, members heading into the well as from an expansive resources.
proved in Lisbon in 2010, and the view looks very Madrid summit that while China. Russia has gained French President Emmanu-
stated the risk of a con- different from NATO head- Russia remains concern traction thanks to the pres- el Macron has long called
ventional war on NATO quarters in Brussels. After No. 1, the alliance must ence of its mercenaries in for a “greater involvement”
territory was “low.” It did Russia brought war close continue to widen its view the Sahel region, a semiar- from NATO in the Sahel re-
not explicitly mention con- to NATO’s eastern borders, globally. Spain’s position for id expanse stretching from gion. q

Bosnian Serb leader prays for Trump’s return, praises Putin

Associated Press which over 100,000 people expressed expectation that
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herze- died before a U.S.-bro- Trump would again lead
govina (AP) — The leader kered peace deal ended the United States.
of Bosnia’s Serbs said Sun- the conflict. “For the first time in history,
day he hoped former U.S. The peace deal, also Serbs are waiting for time,”
President Donald Trump known as the Dayton Ac- Dodik said. “We must be
would return to power and cords, created Bosnian patient, understand time.
that the Serbs would “wait Serb and Bosniak-Croat en- Europe is inevitably con-
for appropriate global cir- tities tied together by joint fused, with its internal prob-
cumstances” to reach for Bosnian institutions and lems. I pray to God that
their goal of seceding from a triparate presidency of Donald Trump comes to
Bosnia, which he called an which Dodik is a member. power in America again.”
“unsustainable state.” Russia’s war in Ukraine has During his presidency,
Milorad Dodik, who was a aroused fears that the tur- Trump rarely spoke against
rare European official to moil could spill over to the the continuous attempts by
hold talks with Russian Presi- volatile Balkans, where Rus- Bosnian Serbs to destabi-
dent Vladimir Putin since sia has maintained strong lize Bosnia. After Joe Biden Bosnian Serb member of the tripartite Presidency of Bosnia Milo-
the war in Ukraine started influence among fellow- became president, Dodik rad Dodik watches military exercises on Batajnica, military air-
in late February, made the Slavic Serbs. was slapped with the U.S. port near Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, April 30, 2022. (AP Photo/
comments at a gather- Dodik, who has led a Bos- and British sanctions over Darko Vojinovic, File)
ing marking the start of a nian Serb secessionist drive, his proclaimed goal to split
bloody breakup of Bosnia said he was convinced that about half of Bosnia and earlier this month, saying was, ‘We are not leaving
30 years ago. Serbs would soon make im- join it with neighboring Ser- Sunday he was proud of our friends.’ It is the Russians
Bosnia went through a portant decisions about bia. the meeting. “He told me who have not done us any
devastating 1992-95 war in their fate in Bosnia. He also Dodik met Putin in Russia only one thing, and that harm,” Dodik said.q