NATO called off a meeting of ambassadors of its 19 member states today after it became clear they were no nearer to breaking a deadlock on preparations for a possible US-led war against Iraq, a spokesman said.
Spokesman Mr Yves Brodeur told reporters. "After consultations today it became evident that we wouldn't be able to make progress in a formal setting so consultations will continue in an informal setting."
France, Germany and Belgium have blocked proposals to start planning for the defence of ally Turkey, which fears retaliation by Baghdad in the event of a US-led attack on Iraq. Their move has triggered one of the deepest crises in NATO's 54-year history.
Opposing any rush to military action, the three countries argue that starting defence planning now would imply implicit acceptance that war is inevitable.