The Hindu : E.U. allays U.S. fears on defence force

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2003

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International

E.U. allays U.S. fears on defence force

By Batuk Gathani

BRUSSELS OCT. 21. A spokesman for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has said that European countries "have gone to great lengths" to reassure the Americans that the proposed European defence project would be designed to "complement NATO and would minimise duplication".

Senior NATO officials met here in an attempt to narrow the divide between the European Union and the United States over issues relating to defence policy matters. The E.U. has taken the initiative to launch an independent defence policy with the proposed creation of a European military command, independent of NATO. Britain has taken special initiatives to resolve the impasse. Senior British officials argued that the European initiative is essentially aimed at "complementing, rather than threatening" the U.S.-dominated NATO alliance.

The European initiative, launched by France and Germany, became more pronounced since the start of what many European commentators call the "Bush and Blair-initiated" war in Iraq, bypassing the United Nations.

American officials had an opportunity to have a closer look at Europe's defence ambitions at the special meeting of NATO ambassadors here. The meeting was called by the U.S. ambassador to NATO.

U.S. officials have become suspicious of the E.U. defence strategy after German, French and British leaders met recently in Berlin to put finishing touches to the proposed project. The French Foreign Minister, Dominique de Villepin said, "There will be no Europe without European defence and no European defence without Britain."

Despite Britain's so-called "special relationship" with the Bush administration, the Blair Government is keen to maintain its foothold in the European defence structure. Diplomats too feel that senior U.S. officials, led by the Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, are pushing the issue too far and "unnecessarily creating fresh divisions in an alliance that has just overcome bitter disputes over Iraq."

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