EU Defence Ministers meeting on Friday/Saturday

national | miscellaneous | news report Tuesday March 26, 2002 11:42 by Rafael Jimenez-Aybar/Daniela Spinant - EUObserver.com (copyright) euobs at euobs dot com (posted by Grattan Healy)

Formalizing links with NATO, aiming for force in Macedonia

EU ministers of defence meet on Friday and Saturday in Zaragoza, Spain, to discuss strategies against external terrorism and to try to reach agreement on permanent relations between EU and NATO. The agreement, which is being blocked by Greece since December, would facilitate the first European military mission in Macedonia and would boost the operability of the rapid reaction force.

EU defence ministers revise NATO relations (published on: 22-03-2002 21:26:24)
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EU ministers of defence meet on Friday and Saturday in Zaragoza, Spain, to discuss strategies against external terrorism and to try to reach agreement on permanent relations between EU and NATO. The agreement, which is being blocked by Greece since December, would facilitate the first European military mission in Macedonia and would boost the operability of the rapid reaction force.

The informal meeting of the defence ministers will also be attended by Javier Solana, high representative for Foreign and Security Policy, together with NATO general secretary George Robertson. This is the first time that Lord Robertson is present at an informal EU defence ministers meeting.

Security affairs are high on the list of priorities of the Spanish presidency agenda. Spanish minister of defence Federico Trillo will stress the need to reinforce co-operation in the fields of military intelligence, protection against massive
destruction weapons and the consolidation of a unified aerial space.

But the hottest topic to be discussed concerns relations between EU and NATO, and the co-operation agreement which might give the EU access to the strategic means of NATO. The agreement would boost the capacity of the EU force to accomplish peace-making or peace-keeping missions, rescues and humanitarian interventions.

On Saturday, after Robertson's departure, the EU defence ministers will set out their viewpoints on the possibility of the EU taking over "Amber Fox" Macedonia mission from NATO, in case of no agreement with the latter.

Written by Rafael Jiménez-Aybar
Edited by Daniela Spinant

http://EUobserver.com/index.phtml?selected_topic=9&action=view&article_id=5692