At the OSCE summit in Istanbul, Turkey, on 19-20 Nov, President Clinton and 53 other world leaders agreed to support a communiqu which declared that outside intervention in a civil war can be justified if the conflict has the potential to spread beyond the borders of the affected state. Russia and China have long rejected this notion.--Stephen V Cole

On 26 Nov, Spanish Lieutenant General (three-star) Juan Ortuno assumed command of the 65,000-man EuroCorps, a rapid reaction force consisting of troops from France, Spain, Germany, Luxembourg, and Belgium. He will relieve Belgian General Leo Van den Bosch. French Major General Jean-Philippe Wirth will become the executive officer of EuroCorps on the same day, replacing Spanish Brigadier General Manuel Oliver. --Stephen V Cole