Angela Merkel doesn’t want Georgia in NATO:
“A country should become a NATO member not only when its temporary political leadership is in favour but when a significant percentage of the population supports membership,” Merkel said in Berlin in reference to Ukraine and Georgia.
Problem is, opinion polls in Georgia regularly show around 85-percent support for NATO, and the recent plebiscite (coupled with an only 52-percent vote for the president) got 77-percent approval. The only political party that opposes NATO membership is somewhere outside the orbit of the American Independent Party. Merkel 0, reality 1.
“Countries that are themselves entangled in regional conflicts, can in my opinion not become members,” she added after talks with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.
So, France, Italy, the UK, Greece, Turkey, and Spain shouldn’t have become NATO members. In Merkel’s opinion. Too bad that NATO says only that applicants be engaged in good-faith conflict-resolution efforts:
[Chapter 1, “Purposes and principles of enlargement”] States which have ethnic disputes or external territorial disputes, including irredentist claims, or internal jurisdictional disputes must settle those disputes by peaceful means in accordance with OSCE principles. Resolution of such disputes would be a factor in determining whether to invite a state to join the Alliance (para. 6).
[Chapter 5, “What prospective new members will need to do politically to prepare themselves for membership”] Prospective members will have to have demonstrated a commitment to and respect for OSCE norms and principles, including the resolution of ethnic disputes, external territorial disputes including irredentist claims or internal jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means, as referred to also in paragraph 6 of Chapter 1 (para. 72).
Well, that would have disqualified France.